Kashmiriyat, jamhuriyat lost; can Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh at least get insaaniyat?

On the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, while the ruling BJP celebrates the ‘historic’ decision with much fanfare, the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, highlights its failure to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir over two terms at the helm.

Leading the charge, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed a famous phrase used by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and said that the BJP neither respects Kashmiriyat, nor upholds jamhuriyat.

In 2003, Vajpayee proposed three principles—insaaniyat (being humane), jamhuriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat (Kashmir's age-old cultural traditions and rootedness) — to resolve the long-standing conflicts in the region. In a rally, he assured Kashmiris that the government would address all issues, both domestic and international, through dialogue, emphasising that guns can never solve any problem but brotherhood can.

Indicting the Modi-led NDA government for failing Kashmir, Kharge posted on X on the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into the eponymous union territories, saying: 'The Modi government had claimed that this move would help fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir, boost economic development in the region, and prevent terrorism and separatism. However, the reality is starkly different.'

Highlighting the various issues in the region, Kharge pointed out:

• A staggering 65 per cent of government department posts in Jammu and Kashmir have remained vacant since 2019.

• The youth unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir has reached an alarming 18.3 per cent.

• Despite the introduction of the New Industrial Policy in 2021, a mere 3 per cent of investments have materialised on the ground.

• 40 per cent of the projects instituted through the Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP), 2015, remain pending.

Bharat Solanki, the AICC in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, also criticised the Modi government for failing to restore statehood in Kashmir despite the Supreme Court’s order. Solanki said that 'the Congress party firmly stands with the people of J&K and demands restoration of its statehood before the assembly election is announced'.

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government for over six years, with the last Assembly elections held in December 2014.

On 5 August 2019, the former northernmost state was bifurcated into two union territories, and its special status under Article 370 was revoked.

Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been governed by a lieutenant governor. Recently, the Centre amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, granting extensive powers to the lieutenant governor, aligning it with the Delhi union territory model.

It is worth mentioning that the Modi government has indicated that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held soon. A team from the Election Commission is expected to announce the poll dates shortly after 15 August, Independence Day, aiming to meet the 30 September deadline.

Of course, it certainly makes sense for the government at the Centre to choose to wait for an auspicious day, full of fanfare, before making such an important announcement, granting the people their own government.

Ironic that Kashmir still waits for self-determination on India's 78th Independence Day? Perhaps just a little.