The political drama witnessed in Srinagar this week raises a very simple question: Who exactly is fighting for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and who is merely fighting for political space?The BJP organised a protest from Ghanta Ghar, Lal Chowk, against the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government. Its allegations included unemployment, recruitment irregularities, outsourcing of government jobs, corruption, delays in local-body elections and the recent electricity tariff increase.The National Conference, meanwhile, has also taken to the streets against the BJP-led Centre, demanding restoration of statehood and constitutional safeguards, including Articles 370 and 35A. Its leaders argue that the Centre has not fulfilled commitments made to Jammu and Kashmir regarding statehood.And this is where the real question begins.To the BJP: After 2019, What Exactly Has Been Delivered?The BJP today asks the elected National Conference government why unemployment remains high, why electricity has become more expensive and why development and recruitment remain concerns.Fair questions. But the same questions must also be asked to the BJP.The BJP-led government at the Centre removed Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in August 2019, reorganised the former state into two Union Territories and placed Jammu and Kashmir under Lieutenant Governor administration.From August 2019 to September 2026, this is roughly seven years not eleven of Union Territory administration. During this period, the Centre and the J&K administration repeatedly spoke about development, investment, employment, transparency and opportunities for young people.So today, when BJP leaders stand in Lal Chowk and speak about unemployment, a Kashmiri youth has every right to ask:Where are the results of the promises made over these years?The official record does show recruitment and employment initiatives. In a 2023 Rajya Sabha reply, the government said 29,295 government vacancies had been filled after formation of the Union Territory, while additional vacancies were at various stages of recruitment.In 2024, then-Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that nearly 43,000 government jobs had been provided over the previous five years. He also cited large numbers of self-employment opportunities through government schemes.These figures should not be ignored.But neither should unemployment.The J&K government told the Assembly in 2026, citing PLFS data, that the unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above was 6.7% in 2024-25, compared with 3.5% nationally.For young people, the situation is even more worrying. A Mission YUVA baseline report cited a 17.4% youth unemployment rate, compared with 10.2% nationally.So, yes, recruitment has happened. Schemes have happened. But the question remains: Has the scale of opportunity matched the aspirations of Kashmir’s educated youth?And Then Came the BJP’s 2024 PromiseBefore the 2024 Assembly elections, the BJP itself promised 5 lakh job opportunities in its Jammu and Kashmir manifesto.That is a political commitment.Therefore, when BJP leaders now question the NC government about employment, the people are equally entitled to ask the BJP:What happened to your own promise of five lakh job opportunities?Was it a promise for government jobs? Private-sector jobs? Self-employment? A combination of all three?And how many of those promised opportunities have actually been created?The distinction matters. A government job, a self-employment loan, and a temporary or private-sector opportunity are not the same thing.To the National Conference: Statehood Is Not the Only QuestionNow let us come to the National Conference.Yes, restoration of statehood is an important issue.Yes, the Centre made commitments regarding restoration of statehood, and the Supreme Court’s December 2023 judgment directed that elections be held and statehood be restored “as soon as possible.”The NC is therefore justified in asking the Centre when statehood will actually return.But statehood cannot become an excuse for everything else.The people of Jammu and Kashmir did not vote only for a constitutional slogan.They voted for governance.They voted for jobs.They voted for better roads.They voted for reliable electricity.They voted for water.They voted for development.They voted for dignity.And the NC’s own 2024 manifesto made very specific promises.It promised one lakh jobs for unemployed youth, a Youth Employment Generation Act, 200 units of free electricity, stronger ration support, free public transport for women, 12 free LPG cylinders for economically weaker families, development of tourism and several other measures.So the question to the Omar Abdullah government is equally straightforward:How many of these promises have been delivered?A government cannot spend its entire political energy telling Delhi to restore statehood while telling the people to wait for employment, electricity relief and better governance.The Electricity Question Is Especially DifficultThe NC promised 200 units of free electricity in its election manifesto.Yet JERC recently approved an average 6.83% increase in electricity tariffs, effective September 1, 2026.The government has defended the move by pointing to financial pressures and the cost of supplying electricity, while the opposition has used the hike to attack the NC over its election promise.Whatever the technical explanation may be, the political question remains:If 200 units of free electricity was a promise, when will the people actually receive it?The people should not have to choose between believing a manifesto and paying their electricity bill.The Real Victim Is the Common KashmiriAnd this is where both parties need to look beyond their political calculations.The BJP says the NC government has failed.The NC says the BJP-led Centre is blocking statehood and constitutional rights.Both may have arguments worth hearing.But meanwhile, the common Kashmiri is dealing with unemployment, inflation, electricity bills, limited private-sector opportunities and uncertainty about the future.A young graduate does not care which party wins a political argument on television.He wants a job.A family does not care which party wins a press conference.They want affordable electricity.A resident of a remote area does not care which party’s workers filled Lal Chowk.They want a proper road, water supply and basic services.The people did not vote for permanent political theatre. They voted for results.What About the BJP’s Protest in Lal Chowk?The BJP has every democratic right to protest against the elected government.But there is something politically ironic about a party whose government controls the Union level and whose Lieutenant Governor administration exercises substantial authority in the Union Territory simultaneously presenting itself only as an outside opposition force.The BJP’s protest was directed at the Omar Abdullah government over unemployment, recruitment, electricity, corruption and development.Fine.Then the BJP should also answer the same questions about the years when Jammu and Kashmir was directly administered through the Union Territory structure.Similarly, the NC has every democratic right to protest outside the BJP headquarters.But the NC also needs to understand that it is now the elected government.A government protesting against another government cannot become a substitute for governing.The people elected the NC to run Jammu and Kashmir not merely to organise protests against Delhi.What Kashmir Actually NeedsKashmir needs less political theatre and more measurable delivery.It needs:* Transparent and time-bound recruitment through JKSSB and JKPSC.* A clear annual employment calendar.* A public dashboard showing advertised, examined and filled vacancies.* Serious expansion of private-sector employment.* Tourism and hospitality jobs that provide stable incomes, not merely seasonal work.* Better support for small businesses and entrepreneurs.* Investment in IT, handicrafts, horticulture, agriculture and renewable energy.* Better roads and public transport.* Reliable drinking-water infrastructure.* Affordable and transparent electricity.* Skill-development programmes linked directly to actual employers.* A clear answer on the promised 200 units of free electricity.* A clear roadmap for the promised one lakh jobs.* And above all, restoration of statehood should be pursued politically without allowing every other issue to disappear behind it.There are already employment initiatives that show what is possible. The J&K Economic Survey reported that self-employment schemes had established 40,778 units and provided employment to about 1.16 lakh youth by December 2024. It also reported that PMEGP and related programmes have generated substantial employment. But these numbers should be treated as part of the solution not as proof that the unemployment crisis is over.The People Are WatchingThe BJP cannot tell Kashmiris that every problem is the NC government’s fault.The NC cannot tell Kashmiris that every problem is Delhi’s fault.And neither party should assume that people will forget their promises simply because another political controversy dominates the news cycle.The BJP promised 5 lakh job opportunities in 2024.The NC promised 1 lakh jobs and 200 units of free electricity.The BJP is now asking the NC for accountability.The NC is asking the BJP for accountability.Good. Let both sides publish the numbers.How many jobs were promised?How many were actually created?How many government vacancies were advertised?How many were filled?How many youth benefited from self-employment schemes?How much electricity relief was actually delivered?How much money was spent?What remains pending?That is the accountability Kashmir deserves.Because at the end of the day, BJP vs NC is not the real battle.The real battle is between political promises and political delivery. And in that battle, the common Kashmiri should not be the one who loses.
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