“A chief minister whose personal security is being looked after by an IGP rank officer now requires a character certificate signed by a CBI SP,” the executive said, adding, “I may not be supportive of either of the two sides but the fact of the matter is that Omar is Chief Minister of J&K and it is the institution that has been disgraced.”

The showdown has impacted the entire apparatus. “The state apparatus in Kashmir already suffered some crisis of legitimacy now suffers crisis of moral credibility,” says political commentator Sheikh Showkat Hussain. He sees police losing it in Shopian and politicians in the sensational racket of sleaze and misuse of power “clarifications from CBI and home ministry notwithstanding”.

For NC, the PDP salvo proved to be a blessing in disguise. For the first time after Omar overtook Abdullah senior and became the chief executive of the state, almost everybody was behind the young man. Countering assault on Omar became the rallying point for the party with dad, Rather, Sagar, Rana, and all other in a single row. It has also narrowed the gap between the allies. Omar’s fall on the issue would have almost emptied Congress of the “veterans” on the same argument. And all of a sudden PDP lacks arsenal. “It is a clear case of frustration as the party has to wait for six years to claim power,” said Prof Wani.

But there is room for corrections every time. The next sitting of the house has still some time. There are many young men who are new to the house. Elders owe a responsibility to help youngsters learn what the decorum of the house is all about. Speaker is the custodian of the house, but he urgently needs a crash course in parliamentary behaviour, immediately.

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