Srinagar, June 3 (IANS) Two political rivals in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling National Conference (NC) are now ironically talking to each other through social media rather than engaging in any serious brainstorming to forge political unity.

The debate was set in motion by former J&K Chief Minister and PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti by first writing a letter to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking an appointment to discuss political unity for making a joint call to the Centre for statehood etc and then by the former accusing the latter on social media of “avoiding the meeting”.

Mehbooba Mufti wrote a letter to Omar Abdullah detailing the necessity of making the statehood demand a united call like the ongoing dialogue between the Centre and the representatives of Ladakh Union Territory.

Two representative bodies of Ladakh, the Buddhist-dominated Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Muslim-dominated Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), have traditionally opposed each other politically, but the two bodies sank their differences while demanding statehood, inclusion in the 6th Schedule and cultural and environmental protections for the region.

What Mehbooba Mufti did was that she put out the letter written to Omar Abdullah on social media trying to make a public/political cause of her intention to seek unity.

Omar Abdullah did a tit-for-tat by posting on social media that he had in all sincerity told Mehbooba Mufti that he would be busy for two days and would initiate a meeting with her after his pressing engagements ended.

Omar Abdullah then put the debate in the public domain and told Mehbooba Mufti that since she had chosen to go public on the issue through social media, he would similarly and adequately be replying to her through the same medium after consulting the senior leaders of the ruling party.

What Mehbooba Mufti thought was trying to rise above party politics and yet making a political case for herself and her party, has finally degenerated into sparring between the two arch political rivals of Kashmir politics.

The entire debate has boiled down to a farce of sorts in which the question is not about who will bell the cat, but about the more ironical question of where is the bell?

–IANS

sq/rad