When Omar Abdullah took over the state’s top job last January, expectations were high. However, just three months in the office, both Omar and New Delhi received their first shock. When we look at Omar, we notice that he has failed to decentralise power. He has no understanding of the history and heritage of the Jammu region and does not have time to consult people and experts in the region. He must decentralise and democratise before he turns into an autocrat. Omar himself calls his performance a “mixed bag” and tacitly acknowledges the importance of having New Delhi on his side. He is widely seen, among his people and in the media, as having failed during his first year in the hot seat. But has Omar Abdullah failed or was he failed by what has become of Kashmir, something many describe as a repository for much of what is wrong with India as a nation? Given the importance of Kashmir for the national conscience, no other CM faces the limitations a J&K CM does. Though he says he has “no complaints,” Omar Abdullah’s failure can only be part of another saga: New Delhi’s continuing failure in Kashmir.
Mohd Ziyaullah Khan
Nagpur, M’rashtra