Page 18 - Tehelka Issue 13 - July 15, 2018

CoverStory

overflowed with the exultant and satirical posts and
memes over the development.
For a majority of people, it was a deserved come-
uppance for Mehbooba’s rough-neck dispensa-
tion which had presided over “killings and mass
blindings” in the state. Many people started posting
report cards of her government.
One such post quoting from the official and unof-
ficial estimates blamed her for killing, “235 civilians
and 460 militants,” partially or completely blinding
“1050 persons” and arresting around “16000 people.”
She was also blamed for slapping Public Safety Acts
on “countless people,” making thousands of illegal
appointments and what is more, “bringing RSS to
Kashmir.”
“Perhaps the first-ever break-up that the people
in the Kashmir Valley will enjoy to the hilt,” posted
the commentator Gowhar Geelani on his Facebook.
“This break-up will not break hearts, but will bring
joy and smiles on the faces of pellet-hit people”.
“Today every Kashmiri is happy This woman used
Hurriyat card during elections to be in power but
what she did we people will never forget,” wrote one
Abdul Hamid in response.
The widespread rejoicing was largely borne out of
a deep sense of betrayal of her longstanding political
agenda, compounded by her government’s acquies-
cence to a militaristic response to the situation in the Thrust together by the
state. It was also against the perceived transforma-
tion of Mehbooba from a firebrand Kashmiri nation- nature of the electoral
alistic leader to a tame Chief Minister always ready to
do the bidding of the BJP. verdict, mutual
In the altered popular opinion, Mehbooba for all
her Kashmir-centric political credentials shading
at times into soft-separatism had turned out to be a convenience, and the
weak defence against the BJP’s perceived national-
istic overreach. Instead, the pressure of a coalition lure of power, the PDP
with the BJP had forced her to vacate the political
middle-ground her party had come to occupy since and the BJP had set
its founding in 1999.
She had played down her pro-Kashmir resolu- about forging terms of
tion agenda and offered little counter-narrative to
balance her partner’s shrill Hindutva noise. In the
consequent atmosphere of grievance and fear in the their engagement
Valley, Mehbooba was thus seen on the side of the
tormentor.
BJP GamBit cited the spike in militant activities including killing
Why did the BJP do it? More so, when the state gov- of the journalist Shujaat Bukhari, radicalisation as
ernment had still two years to go before the fresh the reasons for pulling out of the government.
polls and the general elections were a full eleven Similarly, state spokesperson for the BJP Sunil
months away? The statements issued by the BJP Sethi said the break-up was the result of “the insist-
leaders following the decision to withdraw support ence of the PDP for extension of the period of sus-
adumbrate the rationale for doing it. The BJP General pension of operations and soft approach towards
Secretary and the architect of the PDP-BJP alliance militants, Pakistan and separatists” which hurt na-

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