INTERVIEW: FAROOQ
ABDULLAH
"Autonomy
is a must if J&K is to remain a part of India"
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq
Abdullah spoke to Special Correspondent Ramesh Vinayak in Jammu, the
state's winter capital. Excerpts
 Your grandiose plans on Jammu and
Kashmir's "reconstruction" seem to have gone awry.
The damage the state suffered due to
militancy was colossal. Initially, we got liberal assistance from the
United Front governments headed by H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral for
rebuilding schools, bridges and government buildings. That money was to be
spent over a period of time. But the money flow from the Centre was
disrupted two years ago, resulting in the hold up of development work.
Aren't you expecting too much from the
Centre without accounting for your own performance?
I inherited this mess from the period
of governor's rule. Till January 1990 when I resigned, the total overdraft
used to be less than Rs 50 crore. When I returned in 1996, it was over Rs
700 crore. I generated 60,000 jobs but it is not enough. How do I come out
of this mess on my own?
But your performance falls far short
of people's expectations.
Well, if they are expecting me to
create a Shangri-la overnight, it's not possible. I know people are not
interested in my problems but want their dues. But they also owe something
to the state.
You joined the Vajpayee Government hoping it'd help get you more funds.
Do you now feel let down?
I don't feel let down but sorry and
sad. I think the Centre should look at the state far more seriously. This
is not my battle alone. This is the battle of every Indian on the street.
Who are your enemies at the Centre?
Ah ... How do I know? They hide behind
masks. They want to keep Farooq on tenterhooks.
But even the Union Home Ministry is
sending signals that your governance is not effective.
The biggest problem the Home Ministry
has is that I am asking for autonomy to the state. So dismantle Farooq
Abdullah. If he goes, the autonomy issue will disappear. But it will never
disappear. They have to realise this if they want to win the people's
hearts. If Jammu & Kashmir has to remain a part of India, autonomy has
to be given.
Your critics say you are exploiting
the TINA factor.
No one is indispensable. Including
Farooq Abdullah.
Due to your long absences from the
state, people call you the non-resident chief minister.
Do you expect me to just sit here,
glued to my chair? I went to the US to tell their senators that we are a
part of India and Pakistan has unleashed a proxy war against us. Does any
other chief minister have to do this? We are fighting for survival. On
whether we survive as a part of India or not. I have to go out and tell
the people where we stand. That's why I have a price on my head. Does any
other chief minister have a similar price?
You said India did not have the guts
to counter Pakistan's designs.
You release three dreaded terrorists
who killed many innocents and were caught with great difficulty. The
hijackers knew we would buckle. That was the time the nation should have
stood up and said a firm no to the exchange of terrorists for 155 lives.
What about those who sacrificed their lives in Kargil or the party workers
who died because they believed in India?
Talking of guts, how many public meetings have you or your party
addressed in Kashmir?
Do you want us to just go out with
placards, shouting "hum Hindustani hain", and you people keep
releasing terrorists? Chadna hai phansi par to tum log chado (If it is to
climb the gallows, I'd rather you first).
What's the way out of the mess the
state is in?
Friendship between India and Pakistan.
That seems unlikely.
War might bring friendship. After
destruction there is always construction. Maybe the next war will see
India taking Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and then there will be no Kashmir
problem.
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