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| Article 370 and BJP’s duplicity | | | | Looking at the Indian political spectrum, the Bhartiya Janta Party emerged as one of the best disciplined parties. Its leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee and Lal Krishan Advani have set precedence for vision and moral high values in public life. When BJP people make a standard then they stick to the principles comes what may. This party is not known for bending as much as other parties do to meet the conveniences of coming to power. Many regional and even the national parties are often seen replicating the aggressive nationalistic pursuit of BJP to stay in tune with the public sentiments. However, when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP policy have often been seen fumbling and the gaps start showing widely between what they say and what actually they do. For example, Article 370 of the Constitution of India is one such issue which has guided the basic policy principle of BJP for decades. Even the previous avatars of BJP had the Article 370 issue at the heart of their political program. This Article of the Constitution of India provides Jammu and Kashmir a special and upto some extent an autonomous status within the Indian Union. Though the Article 370 wider political and constitutional contours but its basic essence has it that people from other parts of India can not buy properties or settle down in Jammu and Kashmir permanently. Which means every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir is a citizen of India but every citizen of India is not necessarily a citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, anyone from India can not buy properties, acquire ownerships or seek government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir. This is something BJP does not want as it stands for abrogation of Article 370 and complete integration of the state with the country. Ironically, BJP raises voice about this issue always when it is out of power. Whether Article 370 should stay or not is an issue of wider debate and can decided by none else than the people of Jammu and Kashmir but the question here is what does BJP want to milk out of it. An impression has been given by the party that 370 injects separatist tendencies among the majority in this state. BJP was in power for six long years and the party took various historic decisions including the Agra Summit. Then why party stopped short of taking a decision on Article 370. Interestingly, when the BJP leaders talk about abrogation of this Article, they forget to note that their state unit in Jharkhand demands a similar provision so that people from outside –like Gujarat –are prevented from exploiting the irons ores and running away leaving Jharkhand in same poverty. The BJP also makes it convenient to forget that even in its ruled state of Himachal Pradesh outsiders are not allowed to buy properties. Now since elections in Jammu and Kashmir are drawing near, the BJP is again raising the bogey of abrogating Article 370. It is high time that the party cleared its stand on the issue. |
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