Amid criticism that has resurfaced as the country marks the first anniversary of the historic abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A and formation of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, a group of speakers, intellectuals, who joined a webinar praised the efforts of the central government in The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF) and the Jana Adhikar Mancha organised the webinar titled ‘Abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A: First Year of a New Dawn for J&K and Ladakh’ yesterday.

One of the speakers, Bimal Shankar Nanda, an associate professor of political science and international relations, described the move as a “well-calculated decision and outcome for India in South Asia,” which he said, made the J&K issue an internal matter from the international table of discussions. Mr Nanda also talked about how India formulated its foreign policies and strategic decisions to beat other countries, especially China for its expansion policy and Global Trading Network and to keep Pakistan on the back foot.

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The abrogation of Article 370 has also reduced the number of Pak Proxy Fighters and curbed the system of control over J& K by terrorists, Mr Nanda said. “By granting Union Territory status for Ladakh, India has sent a significant message to China as well as in world politics, as both Pakistan and China have occupied Indian territory since 1947 and 1962, respectively, and there was a relationship between the two neighbouring countries,” he said.

SPMRF Director Anirban Ganguly began his speech by criticizing the opposition parties, the “Communist Fundamentalists and Islamic Fundamentalists,” who, he said, were against the abrogation, especially the Left political parties, and others including Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamul Congress.

“Abrogation of Article 370 is an outcome of a continuous process over the past 67 years, and efforts of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Dindayal Upadhyay and then Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and finally Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” Dr Ganguly said, pointing out to the role of Jawaharlal Nehru and relations with Sheikh Abdullah, by quoting some letters written by Nehru and implementation of the “one nation one flag” and one Constitution system.

Dr Ganguly also pointed out to how a total of 809 central laws, instead of only 108 earlier, have been functioning in J&K within a year. According to him, there was no effect of the Indian Penal Code, Child Marriage Act and POCSO Act for protection of girl child there, and there was no National Human Rights Commission, no National Minority Commission and even no rights for Schedule Caste and Tribe people there.

As Dr Ganguly talked about how J&K and Ladakh area are now being developed following allocation of funds for readying basic infrastructure in the healthcare and power sectors there, a financial analyst, Sudipta Guho, talked about how the region was lagging behind in the past 70 years due to Article 370 and how Labour, Land and Capital markers were upset and deprived of good effect of economic reforms, despite economic activities that began in 1991 when the then Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao, had brushed aside the Nehruvian economy.

“Though there is no Article 370 in West Bengal, this state is also deprived of good effects of free economic reforms. In Bengal, the Marxist economy is functioning even in the Trinamul Congress regime,” Mr Guho said.

Criticising the delimitation policy of Assembly areas in J&K earlier to keep control over political power within a limited families and a section of the rich people, Mr Guho said: “After 4 to 5 years, we must see a different Kashmir, and people will be witnessing a new Kashmir.”

Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr Arijit Bhattacharya, who moderated of discussions, said: “Leftists always speak about secularism, but they did not say a single word as there are now words like secular and even integrity in the preamble of J&K.”