After violent protests on April 9, the day of by polls to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, rumors spread that the Mehbooba Mufti government had been dismissed. My next door neighbor, currently based in New Delhi called me on phone and said, ‘’I don’t know how to break this news to you, but Mehbooba Mufti is not now J &K CM, she has resigned on the moral grounds.’’ I had yet to decide on it, whether is it true or not, my close associate dropped a message in my inbox,that reads, ‘’Hi dear, I guess I’m the first person to tell you that our CM is going to resign and the governor’s rule is on cards.’’ I got a little worried and started really thinking about the authenticity of the news. I thought to myself that there seems to be some confusion about the news ‘CM is leaving’ that spread like wildfire. In the meantime, a news update flashed on my mobile screen that the former union home minister and senior congress leader P Chidambram has called for J&K chief minister to break coalition with the BJP and let the Governor’s rule be imposed in the state to save it from deteriorating law and order. ‘’If that means a spell of governor’s rule, so be it’’, P Chidambram tweets. A section of media also carried editorials, milked the news that J & K is headed for a governor’s rule. An idea struck my mind, why not try watching the live news on my mobile phone, as we live in an era where there is so much breaking news. But my 2G internet service refused to connect and live stream it. 3G and 4G internet services were snapped earlier and therefore the same couldn’t be used for the said purpose. I rushed to the kitchen and switched on TV without the hitch. To eliminate the doubt, all I wanted. However, what happened next shocked me. They were already discussing, ‘’Why did the Congress-PDP coalition break down in 2008’’ with their panel of experts. I was going for a news and ended up in listening noise.
Kashmiris easily fall prey to rumors and I am no exception. Be it ‘recharge of Rs. 49 will save prepaid subscribers (2010), polio vaccine rumor (2016), or LED bulb rumor (2017)’, I become the victim of rumors, time and time again. When the rumor comes, there are only two things to do – deny or accept it. I fail to deny but humbly accept it. I don’t only accept it with both the hands but exaggerate and propagate it to the north – east – west and south. I am emotional, I am a Kashmiri!
Now, CM Mehbooba Mufti has already met PM Narendra Modi and straight away pitched for dialogue as the need of hour. I understand that the governor’s rule is not a solution. But I’m still confused and getting curious to know, what next? Sooner or later – Is she leaving?
(Gowhar Naz is a postgraduate student of Disaster Management at the University of Kashmir and hails from Sogam Lolab)
Kashmiris become easy victims of rumour mongering as most of the time goes in raising fisticuffs and throwing stones on the ones who toil to protect you and the nation from marauding terrorists and other anti-national elements.
Just 20% of the total area of the state of J and K but usurping 60% of the funds earmarked for the state. Due to continued protests and violence there, even that amount is not invested productively and usurped by the corrupt political families who have been ruling the state for the last 70 years. If average Kashmiri is so interested about his well being and development of the sate, why does he not raise any voice against the likes of Geelani and other separatists ?? What is the need for talking to these fellows who send their children abroad to keep them away from any violence or on whom the Central govt. spends more than 300 crores a year for security ??
Whether the J and K CM leaves the post or not may not be relevant but she is being controlled mostly by centre. She could speak little with security forces attacking the youth with pellet guns or killing unarmed people. Her tears at a meet when Omar Abdullah questioned reflects her helplessness. Also, in a recent meet with PM, she expressed the importance of vajpayee policy on kashmir – that indicates her present state