The opposition National Conference is ready to rethink the legislation that made the governor the head of the shrine boards. It is, in fact, supporting the separation of religious affairs from the government. Its intentions might be sincere but the reason for this change of heart too has a political twist. Its arch-rival, the PDP, used the NC’s own argument in bringing more than 100 shrines administered by the NC-managed Muslim Auqaf Trust within government control. These shrines had been a traditional stronghold of the NC. The PDP wanted to diminish NC influence and thus brought a legislation to set up J&K Muslim Waqf Board led by the chief minister. Within the first two years of the new Board, the PDP managed to not only replace NC but also strengthen its own influence in the administration of these shrines. Thus the PDP is not interested in the separation of religious affairs from the government, and its attack targets Raj Bhavan rather than the policy itself.

Now there is every likelihood that the Waqf Board will also seek development authorities around prominent shrines. This would put the government in a fix. Then there will be no end to power games and vote-bank politics on the sensitive issue of religion in J&K, and political parties here seem all too ready to allow communal polarisation for electoral gains. There is just one solution: a total separation of the state from religious affairs, and the creation of a transparent non-governmental mechanism to help run these religious places. And Raj Bhavan needs to remain within the confines of its constitutional role.

... contd.