Amartya Sen slams Modi govt over abrogation of Article 370, says I am not proud as an Indian

Slamming the Narendra Modi government over scrapping of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, Nobel laureate Dr Amartya Sen said that it only emphasised majoritarian rule "as opposed to sustaining the rights of all human beings. I don't think ultimately you will have any resolution in Kashmir without democracy.”

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Sen pointed out gaping hole in the central government decision on various levels, “As an Indian, I am not proud of the fact that India, after having done so much to achieve a democratic norm in the world -- where India was the first non-Western country to go for democracy -- that we lose that reputation on the grounds of actions that have been taken".

Modi government's move on August 5 to end Jammu and Kashmir's special status and divide the state into two union territories has received mixed response from political leaders and general public.

Speaking about the issue of buying land in Jammu and Kashmir by people from other states, the 85 year old economist said it is something that should have been decided by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"This is something in which Kashmiris have a legitimate point of view because it is their land," Sen said.

The Nobel Laureate also slammed the Modi government's decision of keeping political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir under arrest.

"I don't think you will ever have fairness and justice without hearing the voices of the leaders of the people and if you keep thousands of leaders under restraint and many of them in jail, including big leaders who have led the country and formed governments in the past ... you are stifling the channel of democracy that makes democracy a success," he said to NDTV.

‘Classic colonial excuse’, said Amartya Sen about the govt explanation of its decision of security clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir as preventive measures to prevent backlash that might cost lives.

"That's the classic colonial excuse. That's how the British ran the country for 200 years. The last thing that I expected when we got our independence... is that we would go back to our colonial heritage of preventive detentions," Dr. Sen said.