Terming the present situation in Kashmir as one of a tinderbox waiting to burst, eminent Kashmir experts on Sunday castigated the Centre move to “undemocratically” revoke Article 370 as it spelled and solidified India's relation with the state of Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand, defending the move, senior BJP leader Ram Madhav said that statehood would be restored soon.
The views were expressed during a highly-charged panel discussion with RSS ideologue-cum-BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav and Congress MP Manish Tewari as panelists on ‘Article 370 and the Death Knell of Terrorism’. The distinguished duo comprising former R&AW chief AS Dulat and eminent journalist Manoj Joshi echoed that former prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpeyee’s approach of ‘Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat, and Kashmiriyat was the only way to ensure lasting solution to the vexed issue.
The Kashmir is badly numb and residents of the State are feeling a sense of disappointment with Delhi, said Dulat in his opening remarks adding that the situation was grim and what we are witnessing is ‘quiet disobedience’ which nobody knows would take what course in future.
Madhav, taking part in the discussion, said that revocation of Article 370 was done in most democratic fashion and the political prisoners like the former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah would be released soon.
Shying away to put any timeframe, Madhav, however, added that the process to keep political activity going in Kashmir were on.
“We would restore the status of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” Madhav said clarifying that it was felt that there was need to put the bifurcated state under Central rule for sometime, hence, the creation of Union Territories.
Taking strong exception to former RAW chief Dulat's expression of ‘calm disobedience’, a visibly ruffled Madhav emphasized that Kashmiris have never been known to be quiet and they are always up at the smallest provocation.
“Kashmiris have lived with Article 370 for 70 years and now they are experiencing life without it. It is a bold step taken by the Government and I am sure the new situation will ensure development and complete integration of region with India,” he said.
Putting his point across, senior Congress leader and Sri Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari blamed the Centre for setting a “dangerous” precedent by dividing a State into a UT thereby trampling the very spirit of our Constitution. “We are a Union of States and what has been done by bifurcating Jammu and Kashmir is the most obnoxious move entailing serious repercussions for our Constitution and polity,” he said.
Echoing the views of both experts on the panel, Tewari said that revocation had nothing to do with terrorism and had subverted all norms of due processes enshrined in the Constitution. “Terrorism, which the Central Government claims to put an end to with this one stroke, has had its genesis in dismemberment of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh,” said Tewariadding that our enemy neighbour had always followed the policy of bleeding India through thousand cuts.
Tewari, underlining that there was something fundamentally wrong in this decision, said that Centre had with its mindless decision, alienated mainstream Kashmiri leaders too.