Removal of Article 370, a watershed development
Omkar Dattatray
Abrogation of controversial article 370 of the constitution of India on 5th August was the watershed development in the independent history of India including the history of its inseparable part the Jammu and Kashmir. .The scrapping of article 370 was a historical development and epoch making .The removal of article 370 removed and erased the artificial barriers between the Jammu and Kashmir and rest of India .Thus wall of distrust and mistrust were removed by scrapping article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir became an integral part and parcel of India . There is no doubt in it that Jammu and Kashmir fully integrated with India on August 5,2019 and therefore the decision to abrogate article 370 was in national interest and it will strengthen the bonds and relations between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India and thus it was a significant development as it will pave the way not only for the total and full integration of J&K with India ,but will result in the huge investment in the industrial development of Jammu and Kashmir .
The scrapping of article 370 resulted in the tremendous and huge investment activity in the union territory .The big corporate houses of India and abroad are making investment in the economy of Jammu and Kashmir and the floodgates of investment led to increase in the employment opportunities in the UT and this helped in providing much need and badly required employment in Jammu and Kashmir and this is a big favor to the youth of this UT .In fact the abrogation of the article 370 resulted in fast economic and social development of J&K .The erasing of the article 370 brought about positive and encouraging change and development in the UT .It resulted in much needed peace ,security ,tranquility and normalcy which ensured fast socio-economic development in Jammu and Kashmir .The killings ,violence ,kidnappings are now a history and this is no ordinary development but it is very significant .The Hartals ,bands ,stone pelting are non- existent and are the things of the past .
People of Kashmir no longer pay any heed to the calls of Hartals ,shut downs and strikes issued by the Hurriyat conglomerate and this amalgam of separatists is conspicuous by its absence and this is a good and positive development .The people of Kashmir who are basically peace loving by and large do not support the militants and instead report and inform the security forces about the presence of any militant .Thus Jammu and Kashmir is now moving on the path of normalcy and development thanks to the deletion of article 370 from the constitution of India .The scrapped article 370 was a psychological wall of suspicion between India and this part of the country and now this psychological war has collapsed like a house of cards .The dream and vision of great nationalist ,patriot and martyr Dr Shama Prasad Mukoorji of one Nissan ,one Pradhan one Vidan has been fulfilled with the scrapping of article 370 .It in fact resulted in the total and fuller integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India .
The discrimination with this erstwhile state has been removed by the annulling of the article 370.More than three hundred centre laws are now applicable to Jammu and Kashmir .The people of this part of the country were denied the benefits of the numerous centre schemes and programmes ,but since 2019,the subjects of Jammu and Kashmir are also getting the benefits of all central schemes and so discrimination on this account stands removed. .The capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar are becoming smart and metro cities and all this is going to benefit the local people of Jammu and Kashmir .There has been great infrastructural development going on in the UT .
The four lining of the highways is going on a war footing and the work on the express way from Jammu to Delhi is a big benefit and gift to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and this has been possible only because of annulling of the article 370.The genesis of separatism and secessionism were in the article 370 and it was this unneeded and superfluous article which had given birth to separatism and militancy in the past and now its abrogation has given a death kneel to separatism and militancy with the result today there is peace ,normalcy and development in the UT .
The scrapping of article 370 was a big and complex decision and the successive centre governments could not even touch it and it take the country seventy years from independence to scrap this article .It was the bold and strong decision of Modi’s NDA government headed by BJP which annulled it with a single stroke of pen and created a history of sorts .It is pertinent to mention that article 370 was a temporary and transitory article of the Indian constitution and it should have been allowed to lapse .But the vote bank politics and minority appeasement did not allow the centre government to annual this article .
It is important to mention here that abrogation of article 370 has remained as an item in the manifestoes of the BJP from its inception and thus Modi has fulfilled his election promise by annulling article 370.Some politicians were daring BJP not to tinker with article 370 and they were threatening that rivers of blood will flow if article 370 was tinkered .These politicians were blackmailing the centre government all these 70 long years in the name of article 370.But Modi government has made impossible ,possible and that too without spilling even a drop of human blood and with peacefully .Abrogation of article 370 is a big achievement of Modi government and Modi deserves all praise for taking this bold decision of integrating Jammu and Kashmir fully with the national mainstream .Earlier congress and even non congress governments either did not touch this article or failed to annul it under the compulsion of vote politics and minority appeasements and thus this article remained in the constitution of the country for 70 long years nurturing separatism and militancy .
One wonders will the supreme court revert and revisit the decision and resolutions of the parliament as the cases against the abrogation of article 370 are being heard now on day to day basis? Will the clock be turned back is the moot question? Now the ball is in the hands of apex court and it is hoped that the highest court of the country will give its important and far reaching verdict in national interest .However the regional mainstream leaders of NC Omer Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has welcomed the decision of the supreme court to hear all the cases against the abrogation on day to day basis.
Lastly it was the BJP government of Modi which has the strong mandate of the people and he took the bold and unprecedented decision of abrogation of article 370 of the constitution and fulfilled its commitment to people and also worked in the national interest by annauling the controversial article 370 and thus did that which could not be done in the 70 long years by the ruling parties..This decision of scrapping article 370 of the constitution will be written with golden letters in the history of independent India.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
