By Parvaiz Bukhari
Omar Abdullah is all set for the hot seat in Jammu and Kashmir that has proved thorny for his predecessors, including his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
When he takes oath as the youngest chief minister of the troubled state on Monday, the third generation Abdullah would perhaps begin the most difficult phase yet of his decade- long political career.
Omar’s swearing- in ceremony, expected to be attended by Sonia Gandhi, coincides with the 60th anniversary of the UN resolution that contains promise of a referendum in the state. The reason Omar chose this date was to be able to attend the chief ministers’ conference on internal security called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday in Delhi. Five newly elected MLAs, three from Congress and two from National Conference ( NC), are likely to take oath as cabinet ministers.
Omar's cabinet will be expanded soon and he has made it clear that “ it will not have more than 25 ministers”. His colleagues in NC say expectations from Omar are “ disproportionately high”. He would preside over a state at the peak of communal and political polarisation.
Omar has made his priorities clear for the state that faces not just high unemployment but is also at the centre of India- Pakistan relations. “ Peace, development and employment will be my top priorities,” he said.
Armed with a masters degree in business administration, many expect Omar to run the state in “ corporate style” unlike his father Dr Farooq Abdullah who is often described as “ careless and flamboyant”. In the meantime, left with no choice, the PDP pulled out of the UPA on Sunday. “ In view of your new arrangement with the National Conference, both in the state and in the UPA, you would appreciate our difficulty in continuing to be a part of the UPA,” PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote to Sonia.
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