Narendra Modi has been 1st to lay routes for all-round empowerment of subjects of ‘J&K’

* India celebrates ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and steps in Azadi Ka Amritkaal*
* C.O 272 of August 5, 2019, C.O 273 of August 6, 2019 & Act-34 of 2019 are Empowerment Tools*
* Ladakh to Kanyakumari is Bharat*

DAYA SAGAR

By the time in 2014 when NDA-II Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi as Prime Minister came to power the affairs related to Indian state of J&K were free for anyone to name the way one would desire to the extent that even those who suggested that there should be a common control of India and Pakistan on some affairs concerning the areas of the erstwhile princely state of J&K were considered as main stream opinion makers. What to talk of anti India forces / foreign powers even those individuals who held ‘separatist’ ideologies could conduct their activities since the J&K affairs had been pushed into variety of confusions . In addition militant / terrorist activities aided and abetted by Pakistan too had set some roots. The people of J&K, particularly those in Kashmir valley were very much lost in confusion and myths about their local identity as well as identity with respect to India republic. A very large local population of Kashmir valley that belonged only to a particular ‘religious’ community had been staying away from their hearths for more than nearly 25 years by then which could well depict the state of affairs in J&K when Modi ji took over as Prime Minister of India. To be brief common man of J&K was in way living in an environment where there was must need not only for economic empowerment of common man of J&K but there was need for empowerment at ideological, political, constitutional & administrative levels and Narendra Modi though had immediately in 2015 set on the task for taking on the real feels & routes for the needed empowerments but it was on 5th August 2019 that Modi government took the first firm strides.
It is not out of place to mention here that it was on October 17, 2014 Mufti Mohd Sayeed had said while addressing his party workers in Srinagar that J&K Assembly was an empowered institution when at that time in all other Indian states there was political reservation for Schedule Tribes (ST) where as those who had been holding reins of governance in J&K had denied political reservation to even ST permanent resident of J&K and had even denied totalness of fundamental / human rights even to the woman permanent residents ( PR) of J&K who could not even choose a life partner of ‘her choice’ (leave aside the state of the Indian citizens who were not in the category of PR of J&K).
At the same time the local leadership who had been holding reins of governance upto 2014 have been trumpeting day in and day out that Indian state of J&K had special status in constitution of India interms of Art-370 and also Art-35A was ask there to benefit the Indian citizens categorized as permanent resident of J&K even to the extent of violating the fundamental rights of other Indian citizens, one would ask such leaders that in case it was so then why even all the permanent residents of J&K did not have on ground all of their fundament rights secured and there were shortage of experts in institutions like medical colleges. Simple answer could be made that the local leadership has been spending all energies in only sending messages that J&K was not as good an Indian state as are Punjab or UP, ‘so called’ specials were more used as distancing symbols and very less as welfare tools/ provisions.
Particularly after 1957 the ‘democratically elected’ leadership that had been ruling J&K state belonged mostly to Kashmir valley and had been emotionally exploiting even the common people of Kashmir valley often describing Kashmiriyat as identity of J&K who have been too innocent to sense the losses otherwise they were suffering, They have been in a way suffering for over seven decades from a virus of @Myths@ about the erstwhile princely state of J&K and the J&K as a state of Independent Republic India / Union of India after accession more since the Princely state of J&K acceded to India Dominion nearly two and half month after 14th August 1947 i.e on October 26, 1947 only. Since the Prince of J&K had delayed accession ( for reasons as were explained by him his letter of October 26, 1947 addressed to Governor General of India) the government of Pakistan believing that J&K was a Muslim majority princely state & Kashmir valley had nearly 95 % Muslim population engineered open aggression on State on October 22, 1947 from Muzaffrabad side but the designs of Pakistan did not succeed since the local Kashmir valley population instead opposed the intruders, The resistance that Pakistani forces faced from the local Kashmir valley people did earn appreciations from the Indian masses bringing the Kashmiri leaders in more of focus. Since in democratic India state governments were to be formed based on majority in Legislative Assembly the Delimitations for J&K legislative assembly were not honestly drafted after 1957 .
The subjects of Indian state of J&K were in a way kept caught in a web woven with the strings of regionalism / communalism under the influence of myths cultivated by their own leadership after the process of electing democratic governments was started in 1957. The proportions in Legislative Assembly were almost unfairly / manipulated /duplicated as they were in the J&K Constituent Assembly {which had been made on adhoc basis but still the then in 1950 leaders from Kashmir Valley had been sincere in their feel for the people of all regions of J&K which could be seen from the fact that although the Constituent Assembly had more members from Kashmir Valley ( 43 ) AND had less members from outside Kashmir Valley ( 30 Jammu region + 2 Ladakh region ) but while drafting the Constitution the Constituent Assembly in Section-50 kept less elected members in Legislative Council from Valley (12 ) but more for the areas outside the Kashmir Valley (14 J +2 L) }.
Those who had eye on seats of governance kept the innocent masses entrapped in regional / communal/ sectoral controversies in the name of special status / reasons for delayed accession / princely state of J&K having acceded to India with the choice local people particularly of Kashmir Valley Where as the people outside Valley that had comparatively more of backwardness and where the distant backward area too had very large Muslim population remained devoid of timely development and adequate share in the government/ administration . Not only that in Kashmir Valley also the locals were kept lost in regional controversies and myths of special status / special rights / two nation theory and common people / backward people there too kept on suffering of poor representation in senior administration/ ministerial levels even when they were voting in the name of Kashmiriayat/ special status.
To be continued.
(The Author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs [email protected]).