BJP Manifesto: For Kashmir, Not Kashmiris? – By Sagrika Kissu
Nowhere in the country have people reposed their faith in institutions of democracy as much as the people of Jammu and Kashmir, even braving bullets to reiterate their belief in ballots. While the rest of the country continues to celebrate the day of election, for people in Kashmir it can mean a tryst with death. Yet, people come out and risk their lives to assert their right to vote. Imagine who it feels like when this faith is challenged.
In its manifesto, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) stand on scrapping Article 370 and 35 A of the Constitution has challenged this very faith of Kashmiri people, inviting ire from the people of Jammu and Kashmir and regional political parties.…
There is a general feeling that the wounds that needed healing were bruised time and again by BJP during its five years at the Centre. Rather than reassuring the people of Kashmir about the unique position they enjoy politically within the ambit of Constitution of India, a campaign of “othering” based on one or the other pretext was encouraged in the past five years. Constant petitions challenging Articles 370 then 35A, which are perceived as extensions of demography-altering policies, have only added fuel to the fire.…
https://www.newsclick.in/bjp-manifesto-kashmir-not-kashmiris
SEE ALSO:
- An election without a campaign – By Bashaarat Masood (Apr 7, 2019, Indian Express)
https://indianexpress.com/elections/an-election-without-a-campaign-jammu-kashmir-2019-lok-sabha-5662748/ - An electoral cocktail of border issue and rising right – By Rishikesh Bahadur Desai (Apr 10, 2019, The Hindu)
https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/an-electoral-cocktail-of-border-issue-and-rising-right/article26786726.ece - Blinkers on: the BJP manifesto – Editorial (Apr 10, 2019, The Hindu)
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/blinkers-on/article26785446.ece - Political Manifestos Neglect Out Environment – By Pratap Antony (Apr 11, 2019, Countercurrents)
https://countercurrents.org/2019/04/11/political-manifestos-neglect-out-environment/
