In J&K, Modi has a chance to emerge as a statesman, says Muzaffar Baig, the man who stitched PDP-BJP alliance

Credited with scripting the ‘Self Rule’ document of the Peoples Democratic Party, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Lok Sabha member from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla and the state’s former deputy chief minister, now finds himself left out of the political process of the state. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost’s Sameer Yasir, Baig speaks about the political viability of the PDP-BJP alliance, rising intolerance across the country and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s prospects of becoming Jammu and Kashmir chief minister. Firstpost: You wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed arguing that the PDP-BJP coalition government experiment has failed and there is a need for course correction. You have also expressed concerns over rising intolerance in India after the BJP formed government at the Centre. Has India become an unsafe place for Muslims? [caption id=“attachment_2505330” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Muzaffar Hussain Baig. IBNLive[/caption] Muzaffar Hussain Baig: Muslims have been unsafe for quite sometime. If a cricket match in being watched in a university or college and if a Kashmiri happens to be applauding for an Indian player, that is fine. But if they cheer for a Pakistani, it is not tolerated. It is not accepted as appreciation by a spectator of skills or competence of a player but an expression of betrayal of the idea of India. In that way, Muslim students have been subjected to sense of insecurity and unwantedness in mainland India. If Kashmiri Muslims are feeling insecure in the state they are in majority, how can they feel safe in a place where a man is killed for eating beef? It is not one individual killing another, but a society getting mobilised into the act. FP: Do you think the BJP suffered in Bihar due to the politics of communal polarization? In Jammu and Kashmir, you have an alliance with the BJP. Do you think the PDP will politically suffer in future as well? MHB: If there is no course correction, if there is no revisiting the purpose and the basis of this alliance, then I am afraid the PDP will be reduced to a non-entity in future. FP: You were the first leader in the PDP to publicly advocate an alliance with the BJP. Do you think your open invitation to the BJP was right, given how things have transpired in Jammu and Kashmir? MHB: I was invited to meet the Prime Minister in 2014. I found him a sharp and intelligent man. I wrote a letter to Mufti (Mohammad Sayeed) sahib (CM) that it is an historical opportunity if the PDP forms the government with the BJP. Here was a hardliner Hindu leader who has got a mandate; he won’t be subject to the same kind of criticism which a Congress leader or Communist leader would be. If he extends a hand of cooperation in good faith and tries to build, not just a bridge, but a common ground between various communities in J&K, if he does that, he will not face adverse public reaction. My argument is that Modi is in an advantageous position. And if he starts from Kashmir, which is supposed to be the trouble spot, then he would reap dividends. I think if J&K becomes a place of peace and prosperity, Modi will showcase it to the Muslims of India. He would feel comfortable with Muslims and Muslims with him. I believe that if Modi wants to emerge as a statesman and if there is one issue that stands between him and achievement of that goal, it is his relation with the minorities and handling of the Kashmir issue. It could become a win-win situation for Hindus, Muslims and the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union of India and the whole region as well - that is my vision. I want this challenge to be converted into an opportunity. FP: But there are rising incidents of communal flare-up after the PDP-BJP government came into power. The state is divided on regional and religious lines like never before. It was never the part of your party’s ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ with the BJP. MHB: One thing has escaped our attention. Right from 1989, anti-India agitations in Kashmir have been a common occurrence. Even a hardliner like Syed Ali Geelani has said that this fight is not against Hindus. It is against the Indian State. Unfortunately, this is the first time that the fight is pitting Muslims against Hindus. It is not that. It is between Muslims of the state and the Government of India. It has been transformed into Hindus versus Muslims which pains me. FP: Do you think the financial package which the Centre has promised is sufficient to address the issues of underdevelopment in Jammu and Kashmir. Is the government capable of utilising the funds judiciously? MHB: If you analyse the package, there will be a couple of thousand crores here and there which will be something new in a sense that it had not been committed earlier. However, power sector, highways, roads and smart cities were already committed under the plan by Union of India for five years, so that would come anyway. So the issue is: how will the people look at it? People will look at it like something that may remedy their concerns. They don’t understand the constitutional formula for distribution of funds. They understand the PM said that I will solve your problems of unemployment and underdevelopment. After six months or years, people will start asking questions: where is the Rs 80,000 crore gone. That would a general perception. If we go to town and paint the package as a miracle, if we exaggerate or misrepresent the facts, we will be committing a moral sin in the first place. Secondly, it is suicidal! FP: Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is reportedly not keeping well. There are reports that Mehbooba Mufti will take over as CM next year. How do you see this development, being a senior party leader and an ideologue of the PDP? MHB: I am neither surprised, much less shocked when I know the kind of politics in the sub-continent. We have what many call feudal democracies. This is a fact of life. I see Mehbooba as a younger sister. Would I be jealous if she becomes the chief minister? Certainly not. She is the daughter of Mufti sahib. It is not a qualification to become a chief minister but it is no disqualification either. She has been in politics since 1996. She has done her share of hard work. If the collective wisdom of the party thinks that this is the right time for Mehbooba to replace her father, I am not going to feel bad about it because I am not an aspirant for that position. If I was the aspirant, I should have the grace to accept the decision of the party. But ultimately it will not depend on the collective thinking of the party. It will depend on whether she has the backing of PM Modi. FP: Before PM Modi spoke on November 7, Mufti Sayeed talked about opening channels of dialogue and involving stakeholders. In his speech, the PM later said he doesn’t need anyone’s advice. How is PDP talking this open snub by the prime minister? MHB: Any prime minister will need advice on issues of national importance. The issue of Kashmir hasn’t remained a geographical or territorial issue. It has an impact on the Hindu-Muslim relationship in the rest of the country, first. Second, this is the only issue which stands in the way of improving relation with Pakistan. Now this is an issue which involves China as well. I am not saying they have a locus standi but they are in possession of 12,000 square miles of our territory. So I would humbly say that the prime minister of India needs consultation and advise on Jammu and Kashmir, not only for governance but also so that India can proceed in future with a certain degree of stability so far as borders with China and Pakistan are concerned. Everyone who was in the rally told me that it was a snub to the chief minister which hurts me because I am emotionally attached to Mufti sahib. I think at this stage of his life, he deserves better. It has generated a lot of negativity. People in position of power should also act as moral leaders of the country. FP: Do you think there is hope for young generation of Kashmir who want to join mainstream politics. MHB: If the present drift continues, the question of youth finding a space where they become part of the decision-making process doesn’t arise. In fact, they would feel so alienated, that even persuading them to cast their vote would be a difficult task. I hope the present drift comes to an end.