The Modi government’s announcement that Article 370 would be revoked in Jammu and Kashmir and its decision to split the state into two Union Territories took the Opposition, the general population, and the media by surprise.
Reactions to these monumental decisions ranged from ecstatic to horrified. Throughout the media and the public sphere, there is speculation about the outcomes and implications of this move.
Several opinion pieces by Indian political commentators have tried to deal with the issue. Here are some excerpts:
The Story of Indian Democracy Written in Blood and Betrayal: Pratap Bhanu Mehta
In his opinion piece for The Indian Express political analyst Pratap Bhanu Mehta takes a grim view of the the government’s decisions regarding. He feels that what happened to Kashmir is a “dry run for the political desecration that may follow in the rest of India.”
He writes that the implication of this move is that India is just a union of Union Territories which are states at the discretion of the Centre. “What we will see is potentially the Kashmirisation of India,” he writes.
Read the opinion piece here.
Constitution Torn to Shreds as RSS Indulges Article 370 Fantasy in Kashmir: Siddharth Varadarajan
Siddharth Varadarajan, in his opinion piece published in The Wire, describes the situation as the BJP government indulging in a misguided fantasy. He asserts that the way that Article 370 was done away with was unconstitutional.
“What Amit Shah and Narendra Modi have unveiled on Monday is not just an assault on the unique place that Jammu and Kashmir enjoys in India but on the very federal structure of the Indian Constitution,” he writes.
Read the opinion piece here.
By Revoking Article 370, Modi Govt Has Reinforced Sovereignty, Fulfilled Promise to Make Kashmir Part of India Story: Sreemoy Talukdar
In this opinion piece for FirstPost, Sreemoy Talukdar takes a different perspective of the scenario. He says that regardless of how it plays out, this decision was “the making of history.”
He writes that the Modi government made a calculated and bold move which was necessary to solve a problem that would otherwise be unsolvable.
Read the opinion piece here.
At Last, the Once-Colonised Becomes Coloniser: Indrajit Hazra
Indrajeet Harza writing for Economic Times feels that India has for decades occupied Kashmir that has now “culminated in an annexation’. He feels that the government has finally dropped the act of “trying to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Kashmiri people.”
“What has taken place in Kashmir, despite all its local decades-long petty thuggery and victimhood-auctioning, is shameful,” he writes.
Read the opinion piece here.
The BJP’s Kashmir Move Is Bold, But Has Risks: HT Editorial
An editorial in the Hindustan Times takes a more positive view of the government’s decision. The author feels that the autonomy approach that was being followed wasn’t really addressing “the increasing alienation in the Valley, or the problem of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan.”
However, the piece criticises the Centre for its disregard for due process and undermining Kashmir’s belief in democracy.
Read the opinion piece here.
Scrapping J&K’s Special Status Is the Wrong Way to an End: The Hindu
An editorial published in The Hindu agrees with the end of Kashmir’s integration with India, but has issues with the way this end is being achieved. It argues that the people or their representatives weren’t consulted at all during the process that was marked by “executive excess”.
The author feels that the move could have unintended and dangerous consequences in the region.
Read the opinion piece here.
Why Modi Govt Needs to Cement Kashmir Move With Fair Elections: Dr Tara Kartha
In her opinion piece for The Quint, Dr Tara Kartha doesn’t write about the issues with the decisions that the government took. Rather, she focuses on the way forward.
“There’s no time for rest and a little savouring of the moment,” she writes, “This is the beginning of a long and arduous road, that could have a few dangerous forks along the way.”
Read the opinion piece here.
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