Omkar Dattatray
It is very disturbing and unfortunate that violence and mayhem erupted in the Ladakh UT at Leh. The movement for restoration of statehood to Ladakh turned violent and four innocent, precious lives were lost, besides injuries to 59 others. The agitating mob has torched Hill development council office, BJP office and a CRPF vehicle. It is very painful and nauseating that in the Modi era, those people who were stripped of statehood have been forced to agitate, protest and uprising of the people turned violent since 1989 in the cold desert region.
Centre government should intervene and announce the extension of schedule 6 of the constitution of India to Ladakh and also constitute a high- powered committee to discuss the issue of statehood and find ways and means so that violence in Ladakh is restricted to Leh and does not spread to peaceful Kargil. The fact of the matter is that the people of both Leh division, Kargil division and Zanaskar valley are asking and demanding statehood for the Ladakh. The million- dollar question is when will the centre government woke up from deep slumber and restore statehood to both Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.? The moot question is when will the powers in Delhi rise to the occasion and announce statehood for both the union territories before it is too late? One is at a loss to understand why is the Modi government doing dilly dallying on this important issue of restoration of statehood to Ladakh as well as Jammu and Kashmir.
The political parties of Jammu and Kashmir such as NC, PDP, Apin Party, Peoples Conference, CPI[M], and the national political party the grand old party Congress as well as the people of both the divisions of Jammu and Kashmir are all demanding statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.One wonders what is the hitch and difficulty for the centre government in announcing statehood to Jammu and Kashmir? Are not we and the central leadership learning any lessons from the Ladakh violence and how long will it take to the centre government to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir? The Prime minister Narendra Modi, Home minister Amit Shah, several union ministers and a number of BJP leaders of national standing and of substance have time and again stated in unequivocal terms that the union government will restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir though with a rider of ‘’at appropriate time.’’ The centre government has inside and outside the parliament reiterated that it is committed to the grant of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir. The Home minister Amit Shah has reiterated ad infinitum that the centre government will restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the proper time. But the question arises as what is that ‘’appropriate and opportune as well as the proper time’’ when the centre government will announce the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir? Has, the central government, national leaders learnt any lesions from the violence in Ladakh? Is the Modi government waiting for violence to erupt in Jammu and Kashmir and then and then only will it restore the snatched statehood to Jammu and Kashmir? The chief minister of Jammu &Kashmir Omar Abdullah mind the duly and democratically elected one is demanding and appealing the centre government to restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir but his pleadings, appeals have no impact on the centre government.
Recently during the celebration of the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh in Jammu, the genuine demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir was raised and it shows that the people, political parties and the elected government of the UT are all serious in raising the demand for the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir but sorry it has no effect upon the Modi government as it is not paying any heed to this most genuine demand of the gullible people of Jammu and Kashmir. The patience of the people and political parties is waning and the anger, resentment and discontentment is brewing and it may not take a long to give birth to violence on the issue of statehood. Therefore the centre government should gauge the mood of the in Jammu and Kashmir and not allow the situation to slip to mob violence and political uprising .The happenings and untoward developments of Ladakh should serve as an eye openers for the powers in New Delhi and they should concede the genuine and rightful demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and announce restoration of the statehood at the earliest so that the orphaned people of Jammu and Kashmir will heave a sigh of relief. But it is irony that the centre government seems in no haste to announce the statehood to the estranged Jammu and Kashmir which is suffering because there is no statehood in place and there is dual power structure which leads to overlapping, duplication of authority, power and responsibility and the worst sufferers are the power who in theory at least are the masters of their destiny.
This dual power centre also results in slow delivery on the issues and problems of the people who continue to remain orphaned in the secular and largest democracy of the world. We have heard of the UT’s to be upgraded and transformed into states but what has happened in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 is unprecedented and it was not the upgrading but downgrading and downsizing of a full -fledged state of Jammu and Kashmir into UT which is ridiculous and obnoxious and equal to assault on the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The centre government, political leaders and political parties should learn lessons from uprising and agitation in Ladakh as similar or more acute and intense agitation and protests will take birth in Jammu and Kashmir and will result in unprecedented violence and all the responsibility of the violence and mayhem will rest on the shoulders of the centre government. Therefore wasting more time, Modi government should seize the opportunity and announce statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as well so that the genuine, rightful ,legal longstanding demand of the people of JK UT and Ladakh UT should be looked into and at the earliest the statehood to both UT’s should be restored so that peoples alienation is addressed and eliminated and the people will feel satisfied and jubilant .
The Ladakh should be given protection under schedule 6 of the constitution so that the unique and distinct cultural identity of the hill region is ensured. The centre government has sooner or later restore statehood to estranged people of Jammu and Kashmir. So why should the centre government not order restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at earliest so that the wounds and busied psychic of the people will be healed and the gullible masses will feel sense of belongingness. The Apex Court of the country has also asked the centre government to consider the restoration of statehood to the JKUT but nothing positive in this behalf has been done by the reluctant New Delhi.
Therefore, the centre government should at the earliest announce statehood to JK and Ladakh UT’s and wipe tears from the eyes of the alienated and forlorn people. In short nothing short of the statehood will satisfy the people and lowers their tempers and so it is necessary to restore the statehood to both JK and Ladakh so that violence is contained in Ladakh and it is not allowed to spread to Jammu and Kashmir. Modi government should see the delicacy of the matter and announce the statehood to both UTs and in this lies the good of the centre government and of the people of JK and Ladakh otherwise it will be construed that the stakeholders especially the centre government has learnt no lessons from the agitation and violence of Ladakh.
The author is a columnist, social, KP activist & Freelancer
