Come elections, the politicians in Jammu and Kashmir start jumping from one party to another. The Aya Ram Gaya Ram culture has been here since ages. Late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s close lieutenant, Late Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad ditched him and helped New Delhi to dethrone and throw him in jail in 1953 and took over the reins of power himself. In 1984, Dr Farooq Abdullah’s brother-in-law, G M Shah defected from National Conference along with 12 party MLAs bringing down his government and became Chief Minister with the support of Congress. The 12 MLAs (known as dirty dozen) who supported Shah at that time kept on changing political affiliations with every changing season. Some of them joined Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it was floated by Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and then defected. So, the culture of defections and changing political affiliation is as old as democracy in Jammu and Kashmir is.
Politics without ideology is merely a self-serving business. It can’t do any good to the general public and the place. The politicians who change parties frequently are the ones with no political ideology or sense of loyalty. One may not rule out the fact that at times there are some extreme circumstances that compel politicians to leave their respective political parties but that could be an exception not a norm. Here what we are witnessing is a daily based change of affiliations. Once PDP-BJP alliance ended and Assembly was dissolved, the party leaders started jumping out of the party. Some joined JKNC, some joined JKPC, some of them have now rejoined PDP, some of them jumped into newly formed Apni Party, some of them are leaving this party too …. and the Aya Ram Gaya Ram process continues.
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As mentioned, there could be some exceptions where a politician may have no option but to leave the party, he or she is affiliated with, but here it has become a norm. And it is because of this norm, people are losing faith in politicians. Politics bereft of any ideology is dirty and people have understood it. Politicians, who frequently change parties for personal reasons and benefits, may enjoy power but they never enjoy the respect of the people. Though it is a nation-wide phenomenon but in Jammu and Kashmir it is more chronic. When someone joins politics claiming he or she is doing so to serve the people and the country, people laugh at such claims. Though it can’t be generalized, but most of the people in politics are with the sole aim of grabbing power and for financial gains. It is a sad commentary on present day politics here.
