Farooq Abdullah the tallest mainstream leader of Jammu & Kashmir was though expected to speak about the restoration of statehood and special status to Jammu and Kashmir at his maiden appearance in parliament but he very cleverly shifted public attention from the Gupkar declaration to Shopian fake encounter row and restoration of 4 G internet services. Farooq Abdullah the tallest mainstream leader of J&K as usual was shamelessly denied any concession on 4 G restoration just in a single line statement from the Minister of State for Home who in a written reply to Lok Sabha said “ 2 G internet facility is enough for e-learning facility to J&K students, no scope for 4 G internet facility as such”. Abdullah’s remarks about expeditious trial to army men indicted by it’s own court were not different from even the leaders of the BJP in Jammu & Kashmir. Abdullah not raising the issue of Article 370 abrogation and withdrawal of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir was by all standards of understandabilities his clear deviation from the Gupkar declaration endorsed by the leaders of other top four mainstream parties of Jammu & Kashmir. Much has been said about the mainstream leaders who bluntly refused to be part of the Gupkar declaration but Abdullah’s silence in parliament over the article 370 abrogation and withdrawal of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir is just an endorsement of what the critics and political rivals of the signatories of Gupkar declaration have been saying for the last more than one month. True it is that signatories of Gupkar declaration are committed to carry on the legal fight against the scrapping of special status and withdrawal of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir in the supreme court of country, but equally irrefutable fact is they are also committed to democratically challenge the August 5,2019 decisions of the central government on Jammu & Kashmir within and outside the law making bodies of the country particularly the parliament the highest law making body of the country.
Farooq Abdullah and other signatories of Gupkar declaration owe very serious explanations to the people of Jammu & Kashmir if they are really serious about the legal and democratic fight against Article 370 abrogation and withdrawal of the statehood to Jammu & Kashmir.
When it comes to democratic fight against the August 5, 2019 decisions of the central government, Farooq Abdullah couldn’t have a better democratic forum than the country’s parliament to challenge the scrapping of special status and withdrawal of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir. Farooq Abdullah praising the main opposition parties particularly Congress and the leftists in parliament for speaking over his detention last year should ponder over the discriminatory response to Article 370 abrogation and withdrawal of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir shown by the opposition parties on August 5 and August 6 last year as the stiff challenge thrown to the government over the farming bills in parliament since last two days shows that had the united opposition been as firm over it’s opposition to Article 370 abrogation and withdrawal of the statehood to Jammu & Kashmir as they are on farming bills this time, perhaps the constitutional and administrative structure won’t have been changed in Jammu & Kashmir through a slew of measures during last one year. Farooq Abdullah and other signatories to Gupkar declaration owe very serious explanations to the people of Jammu & Kashmir if they are really serious about the legal and democratic fight against Article 370 abrogation and withdrawal of the statehood to Jammu & Kashmir.
