Editorial . . . . .
A new political party i.e. Democratic Azad Party (DAP) was officially floated in Jammu and Kashmir by Ghulam Nabi Azad, who quit congress a few days ago. The region has been waiting more than four years for the Assembly elections and which are likely to be held in near future. He also unveiled the tricolour of his party, which stands for innovation, diversity, peace, and richness of freedom and expression. Its colours are mustard, white, and dark blue. He has positioned his party between the BJP’s and Kashmir-extreme centric’s positions, which both maintain that they are fighting to regain the unique status granted by this constitutional provision. He made an effort to strike a medium ground between the two extremes, with the goal of bringing back the formerly divided J&K people’s capacity to think and act as a single entity. Azad made a compelling case for bridging the gaps between sharply divided communities and regions of Jammu and the Valley of Kashmir, in addition to other issues that he had already stated in front of the audience, including statehood restoration, land, and jobs for the natives. The societies and economy of J&K are intertwined. To dispel the notion that his group is emerging under the influence of the BJP, which seeks to fracture the political space, he continued to assert that it is the party with independent policy and ideology, and not influenced by any leader or any other party. The new party entered the crowded political field in the Union Territory of J&K at a time when it is also engaged in a debate over family and corruption. The timing of Azad’s party announcement in Jammu is crucial in many ways. The Kashmir-centric political alliances, of which Congress was one, discriminated against Jammu in every area of life, as has been the case both in the present and since independence. By establishing the party here, he aimed to make it clear that he would support the area where his primary political constituency of the Jammu region is located. His sincere response that he is equally concerned about the problems in Kashmir is an outreach. He is serving his political district in the Jammu region, where his former party Congress used to win a majority of seats, as was anticipated.
However, the PDP and National Conference, two regional parties in Kashmir, see it the other way around. Azad’s dilemma, which derives from the party’s agenda and themes articulated by him, is that he presided over Jammu and Kashmir as the former state’s chief Minister when Article 370 was a part of the constitution and that as the leader of the new party, he is unable to discuss its restoration in the same way that he advocated for it in the Parliament three years ago. Although he has made a strong case for statehood, land, and employment for locals, his lack of understanding and statement on Article 370 would be a problem for him and his newly formed party. Further, he had already stated that he is toothless to restore Article 370 because no party, including his own, possesses the requirements for doing so: a two-thirds majority in the Parliament, persuading Prime Minister to overturn the August 5 decisions, or assurance that the Supreme Court will rule in favour of this specific constitutional provision. The Kashmir-focused parties saw it as an attempt by him to deviate from the subject. Lastly, he and his newly launched party should not fall prey into any controversies and only focus on politics of development and brotherhood among all communities, caste, colour and creed.