When the Constitution of India was framed in November 1949, Indian states were divided into four categories. The Part A states were former governor-ruled provinces of British India and continued with the arrangement of governors and elected legislatures. The Part B states were former princely states, or groups of princely states, with appointed governors and elected legislatures. As regards Part C states, these comprised some former princely states and former chief commissioners’ provinces. The only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the union government.
During the reorganisation of Indian states carried out through the States Reorganisation Act in 1956, all Part C and Part D states were merged into other states or combined into a single category called Union Territory. The premise behind the creation of Union Territory was that the state could be best administered by the Union Government, given its complexion and demographic profile.
The carving out of two UTs from the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India in 2019, coincident with the functional scrapping of Articles 370 and 35 A of the Constitution of India was the crying need of the time for bringing law and order in the state and providing it the much-needed political stability. It was the right step in the wake of continuing terrorist violence propped and promoted by our northwestern neighbour across the border and the covert and overt anti-national activities by treasonous elements within our border but in cahoots with the inimical foreign forces.
It has been 5 long years since then, and much water has flown across the Jhelum River. The population of Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh, wanted to play an active, participatory role in the development of the entire nation, of which J&K and Ladakh are inseparable parts. Members of this population have been yearning to live in peace and enjoy the fruits of multi-faceted development in the national mainstream along with the rest of the Indians. But the ugly goings on in the region for more than three decades had created an atmosphere of grave insecurity and fear, leading to a near wretched existence. This has changed and changed dramatically since 2019.
The recent elections in Jammu and Kashmir—the culmination of a process that started with the delimitation of constituencies in the state, announcement and scheduling of elections, conduct of elections exactly as per schedule and making way for a democratically elected government testify to the strength, resilience and deep roots of our democratic polity. The results of the elections are not surprising in the least. BJP has retained its committed, loyal vote, but the shift of the voters of PDP towards the Congress-NC combine decided the outcome—a majority for this combine. But this has reaffirmed the thesis that this voter is communally inclined, not nationalistically inclined.
What is noteworthy in this election is the fact that the state will remain a Union Territory under the administrative stewardship of a Lieutenant Governor, and this will ensure that anti-national elements operating from its soil for the past quite some time and enjoying the continuous support of local political outfits will not have their way going forward irrespective of which party rules the state. Political parties guilty of grave misdeeds of the past that fanned and fuelled secessionism in the state will, even if in power, remain within the effective control of the Central Government, especially regarding the crucial law and order matter handled by the Police. The state government will have to align its work with the Central Government and will, wittingly or unwittingly, play a constructive role in the state’s journey into the future.
As mentioned above, the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 aimed to inter-alia identify territories with specific demographic features, geographical size and ease of governance. Considering the typical conditions obtained in Jammu & Kashmir, it is only proper to have a state assembly administered by an LG under the UT set-up. With the development process underway, and with time when the fruits of this multi-faceted development reach all sections of society, including the communally inclined voters, we can expect a shift in their political inclination. All want development and progress. The political happenings at J&K seem to align with the planned development process. If the elected Government fails to deliver on the development and law and order fronts, it will face ouster in the next hustings.
The bottom line is that everyone wants progress and prosperity, which cannot come in the face of communal strife and disturbed law and order situations. If some people still do not understand this universal fact, they need to be made to understand.
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