A Generational Shift

A senior editor, Malik has worked very closely with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah as his director information at one point of time. He does agree that when a generation shift takes places, it is natural that the successor will be in total control and everybody may not follow him. “Sheikh was in total control of the party but when Farooq took over not everybody followed him,” Malik said. Even during Sheikh’s life time, there were many factions that moved out of Sheikh’s control. So has happened in Farooq era.

“This might happen this time as well since loyalty factor is important but Omar will be the party,” he said. Right now, Malik said there are more people in the party loyal to Farooq, and Omar does have a wavelength problem with some of them but it would change gradually.

But how will younger faces like Sogami and Rana relate with the party cadre that has a generational problem. Malik says it is a gradual process. “It all boils down to the governance and how people perceive it,” Malik said.

Gull M Wani, who teaches political science at University of Kashmir says the rise of the Rana-Sogami combine in the government had given pinpricks to many in the government and the party in the last few years. “But Omar has enough of confidence in them that he handed over party to them,” Wani said. “This was a master stroke and Omar could kill many birds with it.” But, Wani insists that the two will have to prove themselves. “It is easy to rise in the government where you exercise power and control but it is difficult to manage at grassroot level.”

Commentator Sheikh Showkat who teaches law at University of Kashmir sees it significant but interesting. “This is transplantation,” Sheikh said. “Nasir belongs to Sogam and is being projected to be from Srinagar, so is Rana who is basically from Doda but has the projection of being a Jammuite.” Sogami is already representing the heart of Srinagar – Amira Kadal, in the state assembly. Rana, currently a member of the state’s upper house, might eventually contest from the Nagrota in the 2014 elections.

Sheikh said initially the plan was to do away with all the elders who had some connections with the Plebiscite Front. “They were reported to be opposed to certain constitutional and legislative shifts that Omar intended to make,” Sheikh said. “But the idea was abandoned because of the family pressures.”

Carved out of the erstwhile Muslim Conference in 1934, NC has dominated the history of Kashmir. While being in lead in Kashmir’s protracted battle against an exploitative autocracy, it fetched legitimacy to the ‘conditional’ accession and finally ruled the state. But Sheikh’s love story with Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru ended in 1953 when he was arrested as J&K sitting ‘Prime Minster’.

With Sheikh in jail, NC became a larger brand that various factions used for various ends and purposes. Bakhshi Ghulam Mohammad ruled the state as NC man. Later, part of it became DNC (D stands for democratic!) and part Congress. Another larger faction claimed representatives of the “aspirations of the people” and were named the Plebiscite Front.

Sheikh’s explicit support to the Front was always disputed. He stayed silent shuttling between the jail and Hazratbal, which he reconstructed, till a pact with Mrs Indira Gandhi led to his release. Once out after “22 years of political wilderness”, Sheikh presided over a Congress dominated house in 1975 that paved way for his installation (February 25, 1975 –March 26, 1977) and later pulled the rug from under his feet.

In 1977, Sheikh returned to power (July 9, 1977 –September 8, 1982) in the first comparatively clean election. After he passed away on September 8, 1982, Dr Farooq took over. The ‘prince’, instantly popular, won 1983 polls on sympathy wave and took a harsh anti-Delhi stand. Indira used Mufti Sayeed to fund the costs of succession war in the extended family that led to a number of lawmakers supporting Ghulam Mohammad Shah, Farooq’s brother-in-law, as the new Chief Minister who was sworn into the office on July 2, 1984. That day, Awami NC was born. It could never win a single seat, later. Though there were feeble efforts to get late Shah’s son Muzaffar back to NC and somehow rehabilitate him, Omar is totally against the idea.

Congress assault made Farooq wiser. He signed an accord with Rajiv Gandhi. Farooq was restored as Chief Minister on November 7, 1986. Later, the two parties jointly contested polls in 1987 and allegedly rigged it. Within less than two years, militancy erupted. Farooq fled to UK after putting in his papers in wake of Jagmohan being installed as J&K governor. In 1996, he bagged two-third majority for the first time in history and failed to deliver. The family lost in 2002 creating a situation that erstwhile Congressman, Mufti Sayeed’s PDP ruled the state and created new benchmarks in governance.