It looks like only yesterday that Omar Abdullah was elected amid much fanfare and crowned as Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
Rahul Gandhi, probably India’s next prime minister, personally campaigned for Omar. When Omar and Rahul hugged each other amid much cheering and sloganeering in Srinagar, we were all euphoric.
It felt rather good to identify with the two young leaders representing a new India. No wonder every television network vied with one another to have Omar as a guest in their prime time slot. The guy has the gift of the gab, even if he isn’t in the league of his legendary grandfather, or even his doctor father known for his weakness for good life.
Today, though, India’s youngest chief minister is fighting for survival. He was struggling for words in his rather somber interview with NDTV’s Barkha Dutt this week. Omar looks like his own ghost, a paler version of his flamboyant self. Gone are the gravitas and chutzpah. I almost feel sorry for him as he assured Barkha he doesn’t have “time to introspect” if he has made “any mistakes.”
But introspect Omar Abdullah must: Why’s Kashmir burning and how he squandered the goodwill and euphoria he earned himself only two summers ago? The army is back on the streets of Srinagar after 15 years in a desperate attempt to rein in violent protests and clashes with security forces that have rocked the state for months now.
