Union Home Minister Amit Shah indirectly attacked the Congress and National Conference for attempting to ‘befool the people in the name of statehood while speaking at a rally in Jammu on Saturday.
Statements made by Shah that fits this narrative were addressed to pseudo political apathy of the Congress and NC the two leading parties in the region which have not shied away from voicing their commitment to remodel Jammu and Kashmir into a state. The Union Home Minister condemned these parties saying they are bent on taking the public for a raw deal by giving them a lip service knowing very well that they cannot deliver on the promises they are making.
Shah said,” you should stop deceiving the people of Jammu and Kashmir for your vested interest in the name of statehood these parties have always been alright on papers but never on ground.” He insisted that only BJP in leadership of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is interested in real development of the region and will return statehood at the “proper moment.”
Another major issue mainly in the context of the administration of justice refers to the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 which resulted in the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories which is still quite sensitive. Since then, the idea of statehood restoration has been a link in political rhetoric, where different parties agreed on different time and conditions for its restoration.
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The BJP leadership’s criticism of Congress and NC is part of BJP electoral calculation and strategies in the region where the BJP wants to emerge as the only political party capable of fulfilling its electoral and political promises on its own. To the latter, Shah re-emphasized his previous statements that statehood will be restored but only once circumstances are favorable in the view of central government.
However, people of Jammu and Kashmir are still bearing the brunt due to failure to start the restoration on a specific time frame a common point in almost all the complaints that were received. This has often been criticized by the opposition parties where they have asked the central government to release the money as the delay is an indication of political interjection with an aim of increasing the extent of control in the region.
In this context, it was found that the political agenda in Jammu and Kashmir would be shadowed by the statehood issue due to the forthcoming elections. On the positive side, Shah’s harsh words about the Congress and NC may appeal to some voters, there is still confusion with regards to the exact timeframe of the statehood restoration, which makes a part of the electorate wait for the actions rather than words.
