Kashmirs crisis is symptomatic of the larger malaise afflicting the Indian state

Multiple Mutinies Now


The Kashmir valley has been burning,once again.This time its the new generation of young Kashmiris pelting stones at the might of the Indian state.They are venting their anger at a government that has been unable to capitalise on the stability of recent years to provide them with economic opportunities and political reconciliation.The telegenic,much-hyped chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir took 55 days to reach out to the people of the state directly after more than 50 people had already died in street protests and police action. Meanwhile,New Delhi fiddled while the situation in Kashmir deteriorated.After squandering various opportunities for making real political progress over the last few years,its only substantive response was to deploy the Indian army again after a hiatus of 15 years.The vicious cycle of killingsprotests-killings continues with the government unable to intervene effectively.Even as the security forces have complained that their hands are tied in dealing with stone-throwing mobs,the demand to reduce the footprint of the security forces has come from the state government itself.

The situation in Kashmir today is symptomatic of the larger malaise afflicting the Indian state,which is facing a crisis of credibility on multiple fronts.The situation in the north-eastern states is serious with blockades and political turmoil.The challenge of Maoism is gathering momentum with Mamata Banerjee giving the Maoists a legitimacy that the government of which she is a part is trying to deprive them.The turmoil in the neighbourhood is readily evident as New Delhi becomes marginal to the evolving strategic milieu in Af-Pak.

The Commonwealth Games that were to be Indias coming out party as a rising power have become a symbol of all that is wrong with Indias political system.The stench of corruption and the governments inability to take action against politicians running the show is corroding whatever enthusiasm ordinary Indians may have had for these Games.The UPAs inability to come to terms with multiple challenges is stark despite opposition disarray. Just last May,when the Congress won 206 parliamentary seats in the elections,it had unleashed a wave of optimism.That feelgood is now a thing of the past.One year into its term,UPA-II seems to have lost its way and momentum.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has the office but no power;the Gandhis have all the power without holding any formal office.The authority of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi rests on their distance from power and they have failed to use their political capital for anything except trying to maintain their own charisma.The prime minister,however,is in power because he is weak.There was a mistaken belief that the division of labour between Sonia and Singh she would take care of the party and he would run the government would work well for the nation.Exactly the opposite has happened.

The Congress has become callous and arrogant and the government is finding it hard to push forward any of the prime ministers priorities.Singhs cabinet colleagues are more interested in earning brownie points with the Gandhis and have openly expressed their contempt for the hapless prime minister.In the process,the Congress has perhaps irreparably damaged the office of the prime minister of India. Not surprisingly,there is a whiff of fragility and under-confidence in the air,as if at any moment the entire facade of India as a rising power might simply blink out like a bad idea.Those who seek to challenge the Indian states authority feel emboldened to take advantage of the paralysed decision-making in New Delhi.Maladministration,dithering and incompetence are making India ungovernable with a growing loss of respect for all major state institutions.Corruption is having a corrosive impact on the social fabric by undermining the trust of ordinary Indians in their political system,institutions and leadership.

Kashmirs recent turmoil has merely brought to the fore the fragile state of Indias domestic affairs.The world media and Indias elite talk about Indias rise,often not realising that the state beset with rising Islamist extremism,Maoist insurgency,and growing and conflicting demands of myriad interest groups is rapidly losing the ability to have its writ run over a large swathe of its territory.Though the Indian economy has continued to grow despite internal security challenges and foreign investors have not yet been discouraged by sporadic terrorist attacks,it may soon face the consequences of the grim security situation if investors find the Indian state too weak to wield due authority within its borders.

As a liberal democracy,India must acknowledge the aspirations of Kashmirs people.Yet theres little likelihood of this conflict getting resolved anytime soon,and the trouble for India is that its heavy-handed effort to keep the lid on Kashmiri demands will continue to besmirch its reputation as the worlds largest democracy and a claimant for global leadership,including a permanent membership of the UN Security Council.India definitely needs to resolve Kashmir crisis but there are multiple mutinies that also need attention.Its not entirely clear if New Delhis present political dispensation is capable of doing that.Thats not a promising thought for a country that has just marked its 64th Independence Day.

(by Harsh V Pant -The writer teaches at Kings College,London.)
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(source-toi)