TCN News
In what can be termed as both, sudden yet well planned move, the central Government under PM Modi and Amit Shah, the bill proposing to make Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory with Assembly and Ladakh UT without assembly, has been tabled in the parliament today morning, 5th August.
Article 370 of the Indian constitution that confers special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been revoked through a presidential order and supersedes Article 35 A.
Leaders of political parties and former CMs Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah are under house arrest while a curfew has been imposed under section 144 of IPC.
All educational institutions have been closed till further notice. Internet services and phone lines are all out of service severing communications to and from the state.
Earlier all yatris to Amarnath and other tourists were asked to leave the state. And thousands of military troops were deployed in the state.
Although in the beginning the leaders who met the Governor were told that it was just a precautionary measure in the upcoming event of Independence day on 15th August.
But measures like closing down educational institutes and asking tourists to leave were indications that something was brewing.
When the bill was introduced in the parliament this morning, there was ruckus with several parliamentarians from opposition parties objecting to the bill. MPs from PDP tried to tear up the constitution in anger. Rajya Sabha MP of PDP has also given a zero hour notice to the house.
Manish Tiwari of Congress has given a notice of adjournment to the parliament.
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Monday criticized the government for the house arrest of senior political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that it was a signal that the government will defy all democratic norms to achieve its objectives.
“The house arrest of J&K leaders is a signal that the government will defy all democratic norms and principles to achieve its objects. I condemn the house arrests”, he wrote.
Slamming the Modi government, Chidambaram said: “I had warned of a misadventure in Jammu and Kashmir. It seems the government is determined to embark upon one.”
Shashi Tharoor tweeted: “You are not alone Omar Abdullah. Every Indian democrat will stand with the decent mainstream leaders in Kashmir as you face up to whatever the government has in store for our country. Parliament is still in session and our voices will not be stilled.”
Ghulam Nabi Azad, congress leader raised objections in the parliament and condemned the arrest of the former CMs in Kashmir.
Scindia also took to twitter and wrote: “The uncertainty and fear only serves to worsen the situation. Government must be open, transparent, and take people and opposition leaders into confidence.”
Kashmiris residing outside the state have expressed their anger, sorrow and frustration. One Kashmiri youth in Hyderabad, expressed, “This is nothing but dictatorship in the name of security as has been done in Gaza – Palestine.”
A journalist in Assam told TwoCircles.net, ” With BJP at the center, this was expected, now next will be the issue on Ram Mandir”
Supreme Court lawyer, Fuzail Ahmed Ayyubi, has posted on social media, ” Special status procied under consitution is now finished. Unfortunate times. unconstitutional steps.” Requesting the people to stay calm and patient, he hinted at challenging the order in Supreme Court of India.
Other citizens, activists, academicians have all expressed solidarity to the kashmiri people in their time of anguish, condemning this move by the government.
Khalid Hassan, Awami Insaf Movement, Hyderabad, told TwoCircles.net, “The developing situation is NOT a government plan to either scrap 35A or 370. If that were the case, govt. would have waited for a peaceful conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra. This deployment of forces is a reaction to something that is already happening or is going to happen in Kashmir. The Govt. is tight-lipped about it but it is something really big. So scrapping can be to divert attention in my view, although that in itself is a very major and de-stabilizing move.”
A scholar from Kashmir working on his research in Hyderabad Central University, shared with TwoCircles.net that he is more worried about his family, his brothers, sisters and friends back home in Kashmir.
“I am also worried about the elderly, kids,and sick people at home and in hospital.The state seems to ignore all human catastrophes that can be the out come of this move. They were in a hurry to scrape the article and with it the rights guaranteed to J & K people. ” he shared.
Wali Rahmani, the young social activist and YouTube trend setter has tweeted, ” By force and betrayal we can only win over the Kashmiri land but will never be able to win the hearts of the Kashmiri people. Scrapping Article 370 and Article 35 are a big scar on the face of Indian democracy. We have just done what the Britishers did with us for 200 years”.