Minister Of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, the only power wielding politician of the BJP in Jammu & Kashmir saying “domicile law that gives voting rights to one and all in Jammu & Kashmir has provoked Kashmir mainstream leaders including Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference President to oppose it for the fear of loosing election’ is a crude joke as the cases is really the reverse as far as issues of domicile law and elections in Jammu & Kashmir are concerned. Since domicile law gives voting, job and land right even to the non residents of Jammu & Kashmir, it is apparently clear that BJP has brought the domicile law to bring the non J&K residents to Jammu and Kashmir with full voting, job and land right only to reduce the role of J&K residents in institutional, constitutional and administrative reforms. Bringing non residents through backdoor under the domicile law to defeat rival parties shows that BJP is suffering from the chronic ailment of trust deficit in Jammu and Kashmir. Wining an election with voting, job and land rights only to Jammu & Kashmir residents is the real demonstration of trust and faith of the local population in a particular party under the leadership of a particular individual but wining an election with the support of outsiders always shows the disconnect of the party and it’s leaders with the local populations. Had the incumbent BJP led NDA Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi taken the measures of dividing the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state into two union territories and withdrawing it’s special status under article 370 and article 35 A on the recommendations of a popular government, the decision won’t have been neither challenged on constitutional lines in the apex court of the country nor questioned by Kashmir specialists of great repute within and outside the country.
Hurting and insulting it is that the BJP led NDA Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre neither allowed elections to the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir assembly under former Governor Satya Pal Malik led state administration for one complete year till July 2019 nor dared to leave it for the next popular government to take calls on domicile law, delimitation, job policy, constitution of recruitment bodies and other such ticklish issues. Backdoor politics painted the colour of a new norm is an insult to democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and better for the politicians of Jitendra Singh’s political stature to identify themselves with the aspirations of local populations of Jammu & Kashmir to further the causes of political reconciliation and institutional revival and not to deliver sermons on implications of the new controversial domicile law.
Jitendra Singh himself holding the position of Minister Of State in the Prime Minister’s Office could have at least advised the Prime Minister to undertake the measures of August 5, 2019 only with the recommendation and the consent of a popular government and the erstwhile assembly as a mark of respect to democracy and democratic conventions. Hurting and insulting it is that the BJP led NDA Government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre neither allowed elections to the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir assembly under former Governor Satya Pal Malik led state administration for one complete year till July 2019 nor dared to leave it for the next popular government to take calls on domicile law, delimitation, job policy, constitution of recruitment bodies and other such ticklish issues. Backdoor politics painted the colour of a new norm is an insult to democracy in Jammu and Kashmir and better for the politicians of Jitendra Singh’s political stature to identify themselves with the aspirations of local populations of Jammu & Kashmir to further the causes of political reconciliation and institutional revival and not to deliver sermons on implications of the new controversial domicile law.