Dangerous flaws

 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has waged a relentless campaign by making no pretence about its agenda vis-a-vis the status of Jammu and Kashmir viewed from the BJP’s Hindutva nationalism. Various BJP leaders have promised that and BJP President Amit Shah renewed and reinforced his party’s vow that Article 370 will be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir if the party is voted to power. Shah during a campaign in Palamau district of Jharkhand thundered that BJP will “remove Article 370 if you make Narendra Modi the prime minister again.” Article 370 was incorporated as a safeguard that guarantees a special constitutional autonomy to Jammu & Kashmir. The agenda to abrogate Article 370 is a long pending issue with the BJP and if such an attempt is made, it could create problems in J&K since it is a sensitive issue. The BJP manifesto also talks about annulling Article 35A of the Constitution of India. Article 35A provides special rights and privileges to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir. Hence, Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, while Article 35A ensures special rights to the permanent residents of Kashmir. No doubt, Article 370 including Article 35A may be seen to grant exclusive privileges to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir which is loathed by some who feel these Articles make people of Jammu and Kashmir feel they are not Indians. By that yardstick, those holding such views , should also believe that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which has been in force in the state, is the best way to make people of Jammu and Kashmir feel like Indian citizens. The reason, ironically comes from those in Delhi who suffer from the alienation syndrome and who think that imposing AFSPA imposed in states like Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland serves Indian nationalism. Sadly the same yardstick is not used in mainland India even if Maoists or terrorists continue to exact a toll on lives of uniformed personnel. Seeing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as a law and order or terrorism problem and not impartially analysing the role of the government forces in alienating the local populace has been a mind block. The Article 370 and Article 35A lose their meaning when the people are treated as second class citizens fit to be ruled by the strong arm of the law under the provisions of the AFSPA. Fighting terrorism and insurgency also requires a great deal of restrained reaction instead of unrestrained forces by using pellet guns and tear gas shells on protestors. The BJP under Vajpayee had won the minds and hearts of the Kashmiris because he was open to dialogue and understood that use of force on unarmed people was the like the cure being worst than the disease. The politics of polarisation is the greatest enemy of India. The latest was Pragya Singh Thakur accused in the Malegaon blast, who promised to ban beef in north east. If Article 370 goes it will also be the same for Article 371A for Nagaland as the latter also protects customary law and tradition and ownership of land and its resources for Nagas from any law passed by parliament unless the state assembly confirms through a resolution. These Articles are not the problem but those with alienation syndrome who in reality, want to play with fire for political gains.