Presenting resolutions, passing resolutions, amending resolutions or rejecting resolutions regarding what was done on August 05, 2019 could be great to address the galleries but those indulging in these tactics will have to understand that ordinary Kashmiris are much more matured than them to filter out, what is to be filtered out from political rhetoric, and get the real picture. Vis-à-vis Kashmir, BJP has had a clear agenda, to end Article 370 and 35 A. The party promised it to their electorate in rest of the India. Sprouting from the RSS Hindutva ideology, BJP had been of the opinion that Muslims, who came from outside, ruled India. English, who came from outside, ruled India. So, in 1947, if India forced Britons to leave India, why should not Indians (read Hindus, as they were in the majority), rule the free India. In contrast the stand taken by Congress about emergence of a secular state. M A Jinnah, an egoistic Muslim leader, who at one stage was part of Congress, helped strengthened right-wing Hindu argument by demanding a separate state for Muslims – Pakistan. That was the last nail in the coffin of India’s secular stance.
This is what history tells us and histories always teach, subject, we are receptive. In 2014, BJP headed by Narendra Modi won the election in India, repeated the performance in 2019 and with vast majority, reverted back to what pro-Hindutva politics desired in 1947 and abrogated Article 370 and 35 A of Indian constitution granting special status to the only Muslim majority state of the country – Jammu and Kashmir. He didn’t stop there. He degraded and divided the erstwhile princely state with Muslim majority, that earlier Union governments were showcasing as the living example of India’s secular claims. Ladakh was separated and designated as a UT and Jammu and Kashmir was degraded to a UT with some grace, having its own assembly.
And now that the Assembly elections have been held, National Conference and Congress have grabbed most of the seats and have formed the government, the dramatics surrounding around restoration of J&K’s special status, specifically, restoration of Article 370 and 35 A may give the political parties some sense of “being important”, this theatre fails to impress Kashmiri populace. BJP did, what it had all along been promising to its electorate. Congress party is the one that had degraded the special status of J&K to the extent where it needed just a push to be done away with and fortunately for BJP, they got a man, Modi, who did it.
Let we face the reality. Expressing our discomfiture about 05 August, 2019 may give us some psychological relief, but it will not give us back what has been snatched from us. So let the present UT government and the opposition try to be honest for a while, forget about unachievable issues and concentrate on what is achievable. And that is, generation of employment, comfortable power and water supply, best health care and better road connectivity. Forget about mighty slogans and focus on the basics that is what an ordinary Kashmiri wants the government and opposition to do.
