Coalition politics not suitable for state’s development: Muzafar Shah

Srinagar: Senior vice-president, Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference, Muzaffar Shah, Tuesday said unless and until a regional party came to power to form a cohesive, strong and stable government in Jammu and Kashmir, the backward border state would continue to suffer in every sphere of governance and face disastrous consequences.
He traced the prevailing political and economic mess and administrative anarchy to the coalition politics which has been eating into the vitals of the state for decades past.
In a statement, Shah recalled the far-sightedness of late G M Shah saying he was a staunch opponent of the coalition dispensations primarily because eradication of corruption and administrative malpractices would not be possible under such rule.
“Because of their differences, more often than not, the coalition parties impede the overall development of the state as they seek to run the affairs according to their respective likes and dislikes,” he said, adding the functioning of the Civil Secretariat is affected adversely with the administrative machinery getting divided on the basis of loyalty to the coalition parties. In such a situation, he said, it was the common man who became the ultimate sufferer.
Shah said it was because of this that late G M Shah had refused to succumb to the pressure brought by the former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, to induct two Congress leaders, Shri Mangat Ram and Shri Janak Raj, into the state cabinet headed by him. Late Shah Sahib had declined the request on the plea that it would have disturbed the cohesive and single-minded functioning of the government.
The ANC leader recalled the events during GM Shah-led government when difficulties were faced in identifying the elements behind the torching of some temples in Anantnag, which eventually culminated into the withdrawal of support from his government.
“The state has faced disastrous consequences because the centre failed to realize the sensitive nature of Kashmir politics since 1947 and kept foisting coalition dispensations on it,” Shah said, underlining the urgency to bring back a single regional party to power which can rule the state with cohesion and single-minded attention.
He welcomed the chief minister, Omar Abdullah’s statement in New Delhi on Monday in which he expressed his inability to eradicate corruption from the state because of coalition compulsions.