{"id":2070,"date":"2014-04-29T18:57:13","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T13:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/?p=2070"},"modified":"2014-04-29T19:18:01","modified_gmt":"2014-04-29T13:48:01","slug":"may-14-2014-what-awaits-after-this-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/editors-take\/may-14-2014-what-awaits-after-this-day\/","title":{"rendered":"May 14, 2014 – what awaits after this day."},"content":{"rendered":"<\/fb:like>

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Z.G. MUHAMMAD<\/h4>\n

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Some journalists in New Delhi have written epitaphs on Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and Congress. They have started seeing rise of Narendra Modi as new star on India\u2019s political horizons; that is going to translate dream of the \u201cSantan Dharama\u201d into reality. This dream of founding fathers of the RSS, \u2018synonymous with Indian nationalism commits the party to the concept of \u201cOne Nation, One People and One culture\u201d. Projecting him in his \u201cVikas Pursh\u201d avatar, his campaign machine as doyen of Indian Journalism N. Ram puts it, \u201chas done everything in its power to obfuscate or to draw attention away from 2002 and all that\u201d. The media has overwhelmingly predicting defeat of the Congress.\u00a0 Some have even suggested about 270 seats\u00a0\u00a0 for the BJP. It seems a foregone conclusion in May 2o14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister of India.
\nHow India will look after May 2014? All saffron!\u00a0 This question\u00a0\u00a0 hammers\u00a0 minds of many independent thinkers in India. After the BJP belatedly released its election manifesto many a political analyst see it as a big challenge to the idea of India and the secular fabric of sixty five year old democracy.\u00a0\u00a0 The election manifesto as an important political analyst says, \u2018can spell trouble for the future.\u2019\u00a0 The trouble\u00a0 for India mostly let me borrow a phrase from a leading political analyst Praful Bidwai is in stock in\u00a0 \u2018BJP\u2019s trade-mark \u201cTrident\u201d Hindutva issues: Building a grand Ram temple at the site of Babari Masjid , imposition of Uniform Civil code and abrogation of the article 370.
\nOf the three issues mentioned above two pertain to second largest religious population of India. I am not right persons to analysis these two important issues and their impact on future of India. If these two issues will assume an international dimension and isolate India diplomatically and economically from the Muslim world.\u00a0 True, the overwhelming majority in Kashmir cannot isolate itself from these two important points in the agenda of the BJP that ostensibly concerns over twenty Crores\u00a0 population but what concerns the political analysts and commentators in Kashmir mostly is how the Narendra Modi led BJP looks at\u00a0\u00a0 Jammu and Kashmir.\u00a0 And what policies the party has up its sleeves for this internationally recognized nuclear flashpoint in South Asia and if its leaves any scope for the resolution of the dispute.
\nI see no reason in being led by the rhetoric of some leaders of this party when it has spelled out its policy on Kashmir in black and white, in its well pondered over 42 pages election manifesto.\u00a0\u00a0 The manifesto says:
\nJammu and Kashmir: Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall remain an integral part of the Union of India. The territorial integrity of India is inviolable. BJP will pursue an agenda of equal and rapid development in all the three regions of the state – Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The return of Kashmiri Pandits to the land of their ancestors with full dignity, security and assured livelihood will figure high on the BJP’s agenda.\u00a0 The long pending problems and demands of refugees from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) will be addressed. BJP reiterates its stand on the Article 370, and will discuss this with all stakeholders and remains committed to the abrogation of this article\u2026\u2026\u2026
\nThe abrogation of the Article 370, since its incorporation in the Constitution of India has been on the agenda of the \u2018Sangh Parivar.\u2019 Since 1996, which is counted as the year, when party started bidding seriously for power centre abrogation of Article 370 along with other Hindutva issues has been part of its election manifesto and election campaigns. Nevertheless,\u00a0\u00a0 in 1999, there was no BJP election manifesto, instead, the newly formed NDA had come up with a \u201cNational Agenda for Governance\u201d, which included none of the core Hindutva issues. Again in 2004 election manifesto of the BJP the abrogation of\u00a0 Article did no figure in the election manifesto of the party but in 2009, it again prominently figured in its election manifesto along with other known Hindutva agenda.
\nThere can be no denying that the Congress government with active connivance of left leaning Kashmir leadership considerably eroded this Article and denuded the state of its autonomy.\u00a0 But more than autonomy that this article conferred on the state, it is history of the introduction of this article and its symbolic importance that makes it vital for the Kashmir narrative.
\nThe article 370 was introduced in the Constitution of India after United Nations Security Council called for holding of a plebiscite under its supervision in the State for enabling people to decide their future. The introduction of this article was necessitated as is evident from the debates in the Constituent Assembly for providing a constitutional justification for administering Jammu and Kashmir till final disposal of its future. The Security Council very subtly did not recognize the \u2018Instrument of accession\u201d, on the basis of which New Delhi on January 1, 1948 had made its petition\u00a0 before the United Nations Security asking for declaring Pakistan as an aggressor. Had it recognized the \u201cInstrument of Accession\u201d as a valid document, it would\u00a0 not have out rightly passed a resolution declaring Pakistan as an aggressor and would not have conferred right of self-determination to people of Jammu and Kashmir and provided a mechanism for exercise of this right.
\nIn December 2013, when Modi sparked a debate on this Article lots of article by many writers were published in this newspaper discussing its genesis and ramifications of its abrogation. In this column, it may not be possible in this column to recapitulate the whole debate. Let me reiterate the Article 370, with sub-heading temporary and provision with respect to Jammu and Kashmir implying constitutional relations with between Kashmir and India to be temporary and transitional\u201d. This Article can go only when as explained at the time of its introduction by then Cabinet Minister, Gopalaswami Ayyangar in his speech on October 17, 1949, \u201cWhen Kashmir Problem is satisfactorily settled and India is free from entanglement in the United Nations.\u201d (Essential Documents on Kashmir Lakhanpal page 309-311).\u00a0 India, by all standards is not free from this entanglement as Kashmir dispute continues to be on the agenda of the United Nations.
\nAfter May even if the \u201cModi government\u201d initiates process for abrogation of this article it is not going to change the internationally recognized disputed status of the state.\u00a0\u00a0 There is yet another question if it can be all done as the Article lays down, \u201c the President may by public notification declare that this article shall cease to be operative or shall be operative only with such exceptions and modifications and from such date as he may specify: Provided that recommendation of the Constituent Assembly of the state shall be necessary before President issues such notifications.\u201d Can the State Constituent Assembly be resurrected is a big question. However, the moves towards abrogation of this Article\u00a0\u00a0 have the potential of breathing new life in the sinking morale of the National Conference and enabling it to gain its strength as regional party.<\/p>\n<\/fb:like><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 
\nZ.G. MUHAMMAD
\n 
\n 
\nSome journalists in New Delhi have written epitaphs on Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and Congress. They have started seeing rise of Narendra Modi as new star on India\u2019s political horizons; that is going to translate dream of the \u201cSantan Dharama\u201d into reality. This dream of founding fathers of the RSS, \u2018synonymous with Indian nationalism commits the party to the concept of \u201cOne Nation, One People and One culture\u201d. Projecting him in his \u201cVikas Pursh\u201d avatar, his campaign machine as doyen of Indian Journalism N. Ram puts it, \u201chas done everything in its power to obfuscate or to draw attention away from 2002 and all that\u201d. The media has overwhelmingly predicting defeat of the Congress.\u00a0 Some have even suggested about 270 seats\u00a0\u00a0 for the BJP. It seems a foregone conclusion in May 2o14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister of India.
\nHow India will look after May 2014? All saffron!\u00a0 This question\u00a0\u00a0 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editors-take"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2070"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2070"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2072,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2070\/revisions\/2072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacewatchkashmir.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}