I wish you luck, this time once again…
Respected Omar Abdullah,
On 13 th of January 2009, in these columns I addressed an open letter to you, titled ‘Good Luck Omar’. Then, one of my well-wishers who is now holding an important place with other political party sent a derisive message saying ‘good luck to you as well’ with a supposition that I have aligned with your party. In my letter, then, with an excitement of hope I had mentioned, “people of Kashmir have related great expectations with your governance not because you are Late Sheikh Sahib’s grandson but you are young, energetic and with a comparatively fresh and un-dotted personal political canvas to paint with aspirations of honesty and impartiality”. Then appraising your governance, on 21 June 2010 in another open letter titled, ‘A letter Once More’, I had summed up your year old governance. Now after more than five years of governance your party has failed to retain the peoples trust! And you are constrained to go into introspection mode and seek feedback from public; hence once again I got prompted to submit these humble words before you as another ‘open letter’. the first letter on January 13, 2009 was written from the crumbling corridors of SKIMS where I was attending to my ailing father and Interestingly this piece too got conceived at the entrance of emergency ward of same medical institute where now the administrative situation is so pathetic. With a caveat of yours being a coalition government and inheriting a flawed political legacy I would dare to call your attention to some major shortfalls in your five years of governance and the subsequent debacle.
In my earlier letter I had cautioned you about the role of sycophants and nepotists and the monster of corruption flourishing in the state with political patronage. I feel pained to say that instead of reducing the level of favoritism and corruption the all-powerful sycophants became more and more powerful and continued with their stealthy operations. The corrupt has become so brazen that today they deal openly. As far the favoritism and selective haunting, knowingly or unknowingly your government has the distinction of elevating and promoting the most corrupt and least qualified over honest and competent. An example of favoritism and selective targeting in state golf management will reveal the real face of your government. Only two officials of state government associated with golf management have the distinction of attending and qualifying turf management course from prestigious turf management school at UMASS, USA. One of them was appropriately elevated and the other one shown the door the moment he landed in India after completion of the course just to least qualified. Dear Omar, all this was done detouring your own orders!
Arrogance has become the hallmark of your tenure. The inappropriate behavior of one of your senior party leaders while conducting the state assembly as speaker has tarnished the image of your party and government. Instead of condemning him as a blot on the face of democracy your government entrusted him the job of managing the higher education in the state. Encouraged by this incessant unethical support and patronage very recently he manhandled one of your potential supporters in public, thus giving a bad name to you and your party. Last but not the least, the Hunky-dory approach and mindset advocated and professed by the coterie of sycophants around you regarding the administration, law and order and other public issues of governance made you and your government to face the public anger.
Dear Omar, on an optimistic note even after five years of your unsatisfactory governance I find a sincere man in you who is able to deliver under congenial political conditions with a team of honest and sincere people. Even today I find a portion of your fresh and un-dotted personal political canvas intact on which people of Kashmir can try drawing their aspirations. I once again wish you ‘good luck’.
References: Good luck Omar , A letter once more .
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