PM Modi To Strengthen Democratic Process in the Valley

Nearly two years after history was created in Jammu and Kashmir after the Narendra Modi-led Central Government took the bold initiative of repealed the special status accorded to the terror-inflicted State under Article 370 of the Indian constitution, four former J & K Chief Ministers were among the 14 leaders who had a freewheeling interaction with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Thursday.

The Prime Minister, who initiated the meeting, made an emotional appeal to the Kashmiri politicians when he said: “Want to remove Dilli ki Duri (distance from Delhi) and Dil ki Duri (distance from hearts”.”

Using his gift of the gab and clarity of thought, the PM tried to remove geographical and emotional differences with the leaders of National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, People’s Conference and other leaders. The PM said that the government was fully committed to the democratic process.Elections can happen soon after the delimitation. .

The talks between the Prime Minister and elected representatives was a significant step towards the return of the elected representatives to the negotiating table as the Central Government is taking a series of humanitarian measures for the welfare of the people of both Jammu and Kashmir. This meeting will pave the way for conducting elections in the two union territories. The meeting’s seriousness could be seen from the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Lt. Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha.

The PM reached out towards the Kashmir-based parties that have denounced what is possibly his biggest political decision as he has a roadmap for taking the Valley to dizzying heights. Experts see the meeting as an exercise to focus on the delimitation exercise to redraw the boundaries of constituencies in J&K ahead of the Assembly elections. The meeting called by the Prime Minister is seen as a positive development in the country, particularly in the Valley, that has seen a massive change in the past 23 months. There is excitement among the people as well as leaders as the PM has not fixed an agenda. No one has been asked not to talk about restoration of J&K’s special status. The government is focused on getting the delimitation exercise completed and hold elections in the Valley sooner than later.

This was the Centre’s first major outreach since August 2019 towards political leaders who have been severely critical of the scrapping of Article 370. Many of the leaders who attended the meeting had been detained as part of security measures to prevent any protests over the sweeping changes. These included Mehmooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah.

The Muftis and Abdullahs have been bitter critics of each other yet they shared a common agenda of restoration of statehood. This can be seen from the fact that even before the crucial meeting these leaders categorically stated that nothing short of special status for Jammu and Kashmir was acceptable to them.

While they have made their position clear, even Congress is fishing in troubled waters as it too is demanding full statehood for the Valley. Unmindful of the fact that there has been a significant dip in terrorist activities after Article 370 was done away with. The PM wants these leaders to participate in the delimitation exercise. The work of delimitation of assembly seats is going in the Valley and efforts are on to speed up the democratic process.

Ironically, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti tried to vitiate the meeting by making a pro-Pakistan statement that PM Modi should hold talks with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir imbroglio. Her remarks have been dismissed by the BJP leaders as Pakistan has no staker in ‘internal matters’ of India. Her recent statement: “If they (Central Government) can go to Doha and talk to the Taliban, they should have a dialogue with us and with Pakistan too in order to bring about a resolution.”After the meeting, she said: “J &K will struggle peacefully.”:

Before commencement of the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the special package of the National Rural Livelihood Mission in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will make life easier for the people there. He said that the new ‘Teaching-Learning and Results for States’ (STARS) programme has also been approved by the Union Cabinet under the National Policy on Education (NEP).

Meanwhile, supporters of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, feel that their leaders have an axe to grind against the Centre for keeping them in jail from August 5, 2019. What they don’t say is that their leaders were living comfortably in posh houses in the Valley after spreading anti-India venom across the Valley. This emboldened Pakistan to continue with its anti-India propaganda in the United Nations and in West Asian Islamic nations.

While these leaders created a hue and cry that Jammu and Kashmir has lost its special status, the fact remains that the terrorists-inflicted State has now got a fresh lease of life as terrorism has declined sharply. The state has been bi-furcated into two union territories, each independent of the other. Also, a series of developmental initiatives have been launched by the centre to provide livelihood to Kashmiris.

Shockingly, these leaders seemed sympathetic to the anti-India stone-throwing protesters of the Valley and deliberately kept their lips sealed even when Pakistan was indulging in cross-border terrorism. As a result, terrorists, who were aided and abetted by Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence, were emboldened to take away lives of security personnel and the common man as per their whims and fancies.

The Union Government’s historic decision in 2019 has now ensured that peace has been restored. There has been a deduction in attacks by Pakistan-backed jihadis, who had full backing of separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a pro-Pakistani Kashmiri separatist leader. This founder of Hurriyat, who is now a nonagenarian, is close to Islamabad and has made numerous anti-India statements throughout his political career.