National

Stage time, space delicately negotiated

By Our Special Correspondent

SAYING IT WITH FLOWERS: The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, receives a passenger from Muzaffarabad on the LoC on Thursday. — PTI

SRINAGAR, APRIL 7. When the young Omar Abdullah, president of the National Conference, was invited to join in the VVIP enclosure at the flagging-off ceremony of the Srinagar-Muzzafarabad bus service, he gamely accepted the invitation and spiritedly jumped over the barricades, showing a physical dexterity rare among politicians.

Like anywhere else in India, stage time and space are always delicately negotiated. Especially so in a coalition kind of situation. If the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress, Pirzada Mohammed Sayeed, were to be allowed three minutes at the mike, then the coalition partner, the PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, would also get three minutes. The "local" Union Minister, Gulam Nabi Azad, must speak, if the Chief Minister is to address the gathering.

The Deputy Chief Minister, Mangat Ram Sharma, was asked to propose a vote of thanks. He represents the Jammu region and the Congress component in the ruling coalition.

Mr. Sharma tried hard to speak longer than the Chief Minister, despite polite reminders, first by Ambika Soni and then by Sonia Gandhi that his time was up.

That Ms. Mehbooba Mufti is the most exciting politician in Jammu and Kashmir was evident, again, today in her brief speech. She invoked divine approval for the bus service ceremony by formulating that the "aawam" (populace) was the voice of God and the voice of God was the expression of the popular sentiments.

It was left to Mr. Gulam Nabi Azad to put a gloss on the somewhat poor attendance at the Cricket ground.

He recalled that both Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi used to address gatherings at this very venue but this was the first time that a rally was being held as early as 10 in the morning.

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