The 5-day fiery session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has ended in Srinagar, but its deliberations are echoing in the crucial poll bound Maharashtra and Jharkhand where the top BJP leadership is utilizing the Article 370 restoration resolution as an election issue to pin down its rival INDIA alliance.
The first session after a gap of six years under the Union Territory (UT) status witnessed unruly scenes by BJP and a few other opposition members on the issue of the ruling National Conference’s (NC) resolution seeking restoration of the special status of J&K that was abrogated by the Modi government on 5 August 2019.
A twist was given to the issue by the PDP, Peoples Conference and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) who said that NC’s resolution was weak worded and moved another strongly drafted resolution demanding immediate restoration of Article 370 and 35A in their original, unaltered form and called for reversal of all changes introduced after abrogation of Article 370.
Interestingly, while addressing an election rally at Nanded in Maharashtra, PM Narendra Modi whipped the Congress and other parties that are seeking restoration of Article 370. He accused the Congress of carrying out Pakistan’s agenda inside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
In his poll rally at Sangli in Maharashtra, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke in a sharper tone. Challenging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Shah asserted, “From the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I am telling you, Rahul baba, that neither you nor your fourth generation will be able to restore Article 370.”
The BJP members, who were demanding withdrawal of NC’s resolution that was already passed by a voice vote, succeeded in blocking proceedings of the Assembly on two of the three days that were earmarked for discussion on the address of the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather acted tough against the protesting BJP MLAs on the third and last day by marshalling out 12 of them and enabling discussion on the LG’s address. He said it was a success of the house that the LG in his address mentioned “restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees” to J&K.
Most ruling party members demanded restoration of what was “snatched” by the centre on 5 August 2019 when the Article 370 was abrogated and the erstwhile state was split into two UTs.
Referring to the PM and Home Minister highlighting the resolution in their election speeches, Chief minister Omar Abdullah said had this resolution been weak or compromised, the Prime Minister and Home Minister would not mention it in their speeches about it.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir ‘found their voice’ after the passage of the resolution on the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state and it seems that the ‘burden is off their shoulders’.
“We felt suffocated and thought we wouldn’t be able to talk. It seems that the burden is off the shoulders of the people. I have seen people who had forgotten their pens and keyboards find their footing again. They are feeling free enough to express themselves,” he said while speaking on L-G’s address.
An NC MLA accused the BJP leadership of using Article 370 and the Kashmir situation as an issue in its Lok Sabha and Assembly election campaigns.
Meanwhile, NC MLA Sajjad Shaheen has moved a privilege motion in the Assembly against six BJP members, including Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, for allegedly making derogatory remarks. The speaker said he has received another breach of privilege motion from NC MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi.