40 years ago, Opposition conclave was held in Kashmir.

By B. Revti

Like 2023 Opposition parties’ Conclaves being held at  places like Patna,  Bengaluru or Mumbai, forty years ago one such , similar Opposition `Unity’ Conclave was organised  at Srinagar, in October 1983 by then Chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah!

  Opposition stalwarts like Badal, Biju Patnaik, Jagjivan Ram, N.T Rama Rao etc, representing 17 parties, were found together in a bid to `show resistance’ to former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.T Rama Rao was the architect of opposition unity.

   The same modus operandi   is now being adopted by present day opposition (INDIA) in an unsuccessful  bid  to take on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

   In 1983, Mrs Gandhi was the first to take the wind out of the Srinagar conclave. On the day the participants were drawing up a fire-spewing resolution against the Centre, she dismissed the Darbara Singh government—-, a move that was welcomed by the entire country – much to the conclave’s embarrassment.

      

Srinagar Opposition Conclave & 1983 India us West Indies ODI

   

Apart from Opposition Conclave held in Srinagar in October 1883, in the same month and same year, Kashmir was again in the news!  The first One Day International (ODI) cricket match was played at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar on October 13, 1983. India played the West Indies but spectators digging the pitch during the lunch interval affected the match due to the protests.

      It was considered a “deliberate’’ move by Farooq Government only to embarrass Indira Gandhi.  Farooq Abdullah had to pay for it when he was dismissed as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on July 2, 1984.