Article 370 & 35A Abolished By BJP Government: India’s BJP government have a made a historical attempt of abolishing Article 370 and 35A which have stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of autonomy after seven decades. Kashmir has been under controversy for many years because both India and Pakistan claims that it belongs to them.
The state was once named as a princely state Jammu and Kashmir but it was the state which made India to get united in 1947 when the subcontinent was divided up at the end of British rule. Afterward, both India and Pakistan was subsequently indulged in war and each came up to control different parts of the territory with a ceasefire line agreed.
There has been great violence in the Indian administered side and that administration was of the state Jammu and Kashmir. It is for 30 years due to a separatist insurgency against the rule of India.
Present Scene and its Significance
There were signs of afoot in Kashmir since the first few days of August. There were certain things happening like tens of thousands of additional Indian troops were deployed. Moreover, the major Hindu pilgrimage was canceled, school and colleges were shut and the tourists were ordered to leave.
Telephones and internet services were also suspended and regional political leaders were placed under house arrest. Most of the speculation was made and it was revealing that Article 35A of the Indian constitution which gave some special privileges to the people of the state will get scrapped.
The government made a very shocking revelation that has made nearly all of article 370. This article 370 comprised of 35A. This has been the basis of Kashmir’s complex relationship with India for some 70 years.
Significance of Article 370
This article gave the state many kinds of autonomy which can be said like the state has its own constitution. It also had a separate flag and freedom because of which they made their own laws. Despite all this, foreign affairs, defense, and communications remained in the hands of the Central Government.
As a result of it, Jammu and Kashmir could make its own rules which relate to the permanent residency and the ownership of the land and the fundamental rights.
Changes from The Government
Prime Minister and the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party had been in the opposition of this article for so long. They argued it needed to be abolished so as to integrate Kashmir and put the territory on the same footing as the rate of India. When after the general elections 2019, the government returned back to the power and they also acted on their pledge.
There is a prevailing notion among the people of Kashmir that BJP ultimately wants to alter the demographic character of the Muslim majority region so that non-Kashmiri’s will also be allowed to buy land in Kashmir.
Ground Level Changes
The changes which are made on the ground level are like that Kashmir will not be enjoying an independent constitution and will have to follow the Indian constitution. All Indian laws will be applicable to Kashmiris and people from the different state will now be able to buy the land there.
The government is also planning to break up the state into two smaller regions. One region will be combined Muslim Majority Kashmir and Hindu majority Jammu. The other one will be a Buddhist Majority Ladakh which is closed to Tibet according to history and culture.
Are all these laws Legal?
According to the Indian constitution, Article 370 could only be modified when there will be approval from the state government. But there has not been much of the state government in Jammu and Kashmir for over a year or now.
Also, the parties in opposition could launch a legal challenge but Kashmir is an emotive issue with many Indians. Despite this fact, most of the parties would vary of opposing this until they are considered as anti-India.
