Restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

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Restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir

12/5/2021 11:07:05 PM

Omkar Dattatray

It is very disturbing and unfortunate that the state of Jammu and Kashmir had been bifurcated into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on 5th of august 2019 by passing the necessary resolution in this regard .The erstwhile state had been downgraded into two union territories and the decision is not in the interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir but goes against the interests of the people. Ever since this decision of the union government and its implementation on the ground the political parties both of the regional level and the national level and also the opposition party of congress are demanding the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Not only various political parties are demanding the reversal of the decision of the downgrading of the state into two union territories. But the people of Jammu and Kashmir are also demanding the restoration of the statehood to the erstwhile state. There are instances in the country were in the union territories were elevated and upgraded into the full fledged states and this is understandable. But the decision of the powers to convert the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the union territories is a rare decision and draconian one and it is against the people of Jammu and Kashmir and hence the people and the political parties are demanding the status of the full fledged state. Even the Prime minister Modi and the home minister Amit Shah has made it clear in the august parliament that the statehood will be restored to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir at the opportune time. But the statement of the prime minister and the home minister regarding the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is vague as it does not specify the time limit within which the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will be restored. When we say Jammu and Kashmir it means the united state of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The opposition political parties and the people of Jammu and Kashmir are becoming impatient and are hence demanding early restoration of the full statehood to the erstwhile state. It is in the interest of the people to grant the statehood to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The national conference vice president Omer Abdullah and the former chief minister has said that the abrogation of the controversial article 370 of the Indian constitution which grants special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir is understandable as from the day one of the formation of the BJP it was and continues to be in the agenda and manifesto of the party. However downgrading of the state into the two union territories is beyond comprehension and is an anti people act.Thus sooner the erstwhile state is given the full statehood it will be better and a pro peoples decision. The ex chief minister and the congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has also demanded the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir before the holding of the assembly elections. He has said that the jobs to the youths of the Jammu and Kashmir and the lands of the people should be protected and for this the statehood should be restored to the disturbed Jammu and Kashmir. The former chief minister has also said the bill to restore the full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir should be tabled in the parliament of the country and it should be passed to give some respite and relief to the alienated people of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJPs organizing secretary Ashok Koul has said that the statehood will be restored to Jammu and Kashmir once the selective killings and terrorism is eliminated. Thus it seems that the BJP government is in no hurry to restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as the party has laid down the dead line of stopping of the targeted and selective killings and has made it as a prerequisite for the restoration of the statehood. Whatever is the stand of the powers the need of the hour is that the much due elections should be held in Jammu and Kashmir to usher in true democracy so that the orphaned people will heave a sigh of relief and their alienation is removed. The political parties of the regional standing like NC, PDP, PC should show flexibility and magnanimity and should not make the restoration a pre condition for taking part in the elections of the assembly. Thus the holding of the much due assembly elections should not be made a prerequisite for restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. The restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and the holding of the elections of the assembly are two separate things and these should not be clubbed together. Therefore the assembly elections should be held as soon as possible in Jammu and Kashmir to give the alienated people the chance to form a government of their choice. Then after the assembly elections in the disturbed Jammu and Kashmir, the statehood should be restored by passing a bill in this regard in the countrys parliament. Union territory is not in the interest of the citizens and thus statehood should be restored to stop the sufferings of the people. In a union territory the government is remotely controlled by the centre and the centre representative the LG is incharge of the government and all the functions of governance are performed by the LG administration. In fact in the centre rule the citizens feel orphaned and thus demand the restoration and revival of the statehood to relieve the people from the misery and sufferings which are heaped upon the people because of the center dispensation. It is in the fitness of things to hold the much due elections in the UT so that the ground is made fertile for the easy restoration of the full statehood. In fact the assembly elections should precede the restoration of the statehood. The ball lies in the hands of the centre government and it should take a final call on the subject of the elections and order the holding of the elections. However for the holding of the assembly elections, the delimitation of the assembly constituencies should be done on the bases of the 2011 census and after the delimitation the assembly elections should be conducted in order to provide the people of Jammu and Kashmir a democratic government which can solve the problems of the people. Once the assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir the road will become clear for the restoration of statehood. Thus assembly elections should be held prior to the restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Since the political parties national and regional are ready to take an active part in the assembly elections and they have decided to jump in the assembly elections. So the centre government should initiate the political process and order the much due assembly elections which will pave way for the restoration of the full statehood in the ultimate analysis to empower the people. To conclude we can say that the full statehood is our right and the centre government should grant the right of statehood to the people of the Jammu and Kashmir so that their alienation is removed and they feel belongingness to the state and feel satisfied. The centre government should balm the hurt psyche of the people and for this the restoration of the statehood is the answer.

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