Virtually rendered faceless by the implementation of new controversial domicile law and a highly provocative job policy barely nine months after the bifurcation of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir’s state into two union territories and scrapping of special status under article 370 and article 35 A, the Kashmir’s few mainstream leaders propagating the politics of reconciliation with post August 5 institutional and administrative measures are shamelessly demanding return of statehood to Jammu & Kashmir after loosing their battle for protection of land and job rights. Shamelessly the Kashmir’s over a dozen mainstream leaders known for their defections to not just one but many parties over the period of years just for the purposes of ministerial berths are now tending to deflect the attention of the people from the fight against a controversial domicile law and a provocative job policy to the demand for statehood to Jammu & Kashmir and conduct of elections. The political defectors of yesteryears talk about statehood and elections instead of seeking amendments in the controversial domicile law and a provocative job policy as irrefutable fact is that they have lost battle for protection of land and job rights. The leaders seeking reconciliation with the post August 5 political and institutional measures taken in Jammu & Kashmir during last nine months owe too many explanations for their failures in facilitating roll back even on a single hostile institutional and administrative measure since August 5 last year.
Leaders seeking statehood and elections have to explain a lot over their promises on the domicile law which has created a flutter in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division and before talking about statehood and elections they will have to give an account of their promises on delimitation initiative, new domicile law, new job policy and bifurcation of the civil secretariat.
Leaders talking about filling the political vacuum can’t look away from the fact that the central government did not take them on board on key post August 5 measures particularly delimitation initiative, new domicile law, new job policy and bifurcation of the civil secretariat. Setting a new agenda over the demand of statehood and elections is by all standards of understandabilities’ an attempt to carry forward the politics of deceit and ill intentions which has ruined a glorious state of yesteryears and downgraded it to a union territory. Setting a new agenda of statehood and elections to allow the central government to drag on it’s feet over the promises on domicile law for protection of land and job rights would be another and final blow to the leaders seeking reconciliation with the post August 5 institutional and administrative measures. Leaders seeking statehood and elections have to explain a lot over their promises on the domicile law which has created a flutter in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division and before talking about statehood and elections they will have to give an account of their promises on delimitation initiative, new domicile law, new job policy and bifurcation of the civil secretariat.
