J&K and Article 370 | Narendra Modi and Amit Shah keep their promise; what next?

On August 5, the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government revoked the special status enjoyed by Jammu & Kashmir for more than six decades now. Article 370, under which the status was protected, was bypassed and Union home minister Amit Shah informed the Rajya Sabha that President Ram Nath Kovind had signed an order to this effect.

Unless you were living under a rock this would not be a surprise. Over the last fortnight there has been heavy administrative and military activity. More than 35,000 troops have been moved into the state (this in addition to the lakhs of army personnel already present in the border state), political leaders have been kept under house arrest, etc.

Along with this announcement, Shah introduced the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019, which proposed changing the status of Jammu & Kashmir from a state to a Union Territory, and the bifurcation of the state into two halves — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Bill will be presented in Lok Sabha and given the majority the BJP enjoys in the lower house, passing it is only a matter of time.

The developments in the days ahead will show the effects of this decision: those who agree with the government’s decision feel that it will usher in development and a new era of progress in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Those who are opposing this feel that the Modi government has opened a tinderbox. That’s for us to see in the days to come.

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Viju Cherian

Opinion Editor|moneycontrol.com

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In the meantime, there are two important factors that came to my attention:

One, a pertinent point raised by a few Rajya Sabha MPs such as Congress’ P Chidambaram and Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s TK Rangarajan. In comments on the Bill, both leaders said that the government’s move has showed how the central government could undermine the rights and even status of a state. To put it in other words, if the Centre decides it can not only dissolve an elected assembly, but also change the status of the state. At a time when the Centre is pushing for a ‘One Nation, One Election’, what has happened in Parliament today does not help that cause.

Two, the promise of revoking Article 370 and 35A have found place in the BJP’s manifestoes in the past as well, and not many would have thought that the government would walk the talk. However, Modi and Shah have showed that they will fulfil the promises made in the BJP’s ‘sankalp patra’. The passing of the anti-triple talaq Bill recently was proof of that.

The Modi government, even in its previous term, has showed that it is difficult to predict its actions. For those who still want to predict, here’s a suggestion: take a good look at the party’s election manifesto, it could give a clue or two.