B L Saraf
Bhartiya Janata Party has won it handsomely. Congratulations! Party’s victory has come riding on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and his guarantees blending welfare politics and development with Hindutva. BJP swept Hindi heartland by ousting Congress from Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. How and why it happened is for an analyst to find answer. In the meanwhile, PM Modi put it straight in his thanks giving speech to voters at the BJ P headquarters “Today’s BJP win is a win for every poor, every farmer, every deprived, every woman, youth and tribal .” He added “that every citizen who wanted to see a developed India was feeling victorious.
This was a vote for the pledge of developed self reliant India.” Interestingly, Modi didn’t say much on Hindutav but it was left to BJP Chief JP Nadda who in his address added other part of the truth, that ” it was careful messaging around Hindutva” that contributed to the factors responsible for the party’s thundering success.
The defeat of the Congress party will give rise to many questions that it will find hard to answer. The party had hoped that a good showing in the Assembly elections would give it a leverage in the deliberations within I.N. D. IA. But its near wipe out in the Hindi belt could embolden the regional parties to stand up to it, as some of them may consider Congress a baggage and deny its claim to lead the alliance. There will be serious ramifications for the opposition parties, irrespective of the fact whether they fight B JP together or singly. PM Modi’s reference to the approaching Lok Sabha elections that “hat trick of victories has given a guarantee for the hat trick in 2024″ wouldn’t comfort them.
In his thanks giving speech PM referred to many things which were stitched in a positive strand. While the Hindutva will remain a template for the BJP to pan around but the victory in the state elections should make it confident to focus on the issues Modi alluded to in his address. BJP and the nation will be better served if instead of following a sectarian and excluding agenda core constitutional values are fore grounded. In this moment of a glory it will be good for PM Modi and the BJP to listen to what Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said on 2nd December at Justice Kashev Chandra Dhulia Memorial Essay Competition in Dehradun : that ” the beauty of a democracy is the sense of moral status with which all citizens can participate in a country and the consensus in its decision making. In a democracy, the majority will have its way, but the majority must have its say.” He went on to say “Merely because a body is elected does not ensure that it acts in the best interest of those who it governs.” Therefore it is necessary that democracy must engage with all its stakeholders.” It is imperative that the dissent is respected because it has its base in ” profound questions about the working of society.”
The best way for PM Modi and the BJP to show regard for the values of democracy and people’s aspiration, will be to make residents of Jammu and Kashmir participants in the festival of democracy, nation is enjoying. For that to happen, it is important that statehood is restored and Assembly elections are held without any further delay.
On April, 23rd, the UT Chief Electoral Officer said in an interview to D E that ” three elections are scheduled in J &K during current financial year namely, Panchayats, Municipalities and Parliament while Assembly polls are due .” While he sounded specific about the calendar of Local Bodies elections (which now stand deferred with no certainty when they will be held) such exactness was missing in case of the Assembly election.
The election noise was heard soon after the delimitation report came out, year or so ago. Election will help formation of a popular Government and relieve J&K of the Central rule which was set on 19th June 2018 when the then Governor invoked Section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and assumed, for himself, the charge of State Administration , after BJP withdrew from the Mehbooba Mufti led PDP – BJP coalition Government. Subsequently, provisions of Article 356 of the Union Constitution were resorted to and the state came under President’s rule. The arrangement lasted till 31st October, 2019 where after, in consequence of coming into the effect of The Jammu And Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 (Act shortly ), state got bifurcated into two Union Territories with both coming directly under the administration of Ministry of Home Affairs , GOI . President’s rule was revoked and to continue with the arrangement Art 239 of the Constitution and Sec 73 of the Act were pressed into the service.
In the autumn of the previous year the HM Amit Shah said that security situation has improved and it was for the Election Commission to take a call on holding Assembly election in J&K. LG Sinha echoed same sentiment. Before that – more than a year ago – the HM Amit Shah said in a TV interview that in J&K Assembly Elections will be held within 6 to 8 months after delimitation report is available. The report is available for quite a time now.
True, the security situation in J&K has not improved to the satisfactory levels . Civilians die, as do the security men get martyred. Security forces are on the streets, Kashmiri Pandits continue to languish in camps outside the Valley and people live fear stricken . However, the situation is not as worse as it was in 1996 to 2014 when Assembly elections were held at regular intervals.
Signals coming from the Valley reveal that resentment is growing against the Central Government for delaying Assembly election. The situation can be redeemed by allowing genuine political process to take the course and putting in place an elected Government. But the ruling dispensation seems to have other thoughts. Perception goes that it wants- if not its own men- but certainly ‘ like minded ‘ ones to hold administrative and political power in J & K. Experimentation in cobbling together the ‘ like minded ‘ is under way since 2020. Kashmir suffers from a political vacuum which must be filled up by the nationalist forces of genuine credibility and some standing among the public. Political space should not be left open for the exploitation of an undesirable element.
The relative calm in the Valley shouldn’t fool anyone. Situation can erupt anytime. Playing one sect of the society against the other is no wisdom. J&K is a volatile territory where nobody can predict when the state’s fault lines will come alive. Separatism will get the final burial only when people in Jand K are given a fair chance to rule themselves and enjoy all rights which Constitution of India has given to its citizens P M Modi should now turn his gaze to J &K and redeem it from the present hopelessness.
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
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