PDP or People’s Democratic Party was the third regional party to release its manifesto after National Conference and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. This has completed the circle of all the three major regional parties in Kashmir as far as their manifestoes are concerned for the upcoming Assembly elections for the UT of Jammu and Kashmir beginning September 18 and lasting till October 1 before the results on October 4.
All the three manifestoes have certain commonalities – a deep regret has been documented with regard to the abrogation of Article 370 which , they said, has not only snatched the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir ( now divided into two union territories of Ladakh and J&K) but also inflicted a severe blow to the identity and dignity of the people . While NC and PDP are talking about the restoration of Article 370 that was done away with on August 5, 2019., Apni Party has laid stress on its single-lens mission of restoration of statehood to J&K in all its forms and manifestations , with no ambiguity in its statis and political and constitutional structure . Apni Party ‘s manifesto is devoted to the regional aspirations , which has certain similarities with the NC and PDP manifestoes, but it distinguishes with its highlight on the day-to-day issues confronting the people.
There is no doubt that NC and PDP have raised the issue of the restoration of Article 370 for these parties know that it has an emotional appeal in the Kashmir Valley, which has been the epicenter of the slogan where Article 370 was equated to the individual and collective identity of the people of Kashmir. It defined the distinct identity and cultural ethos of Kashmir since the times of Sheikh Abdullah, in fact it was inherited from the times of Dogra rule in which the inviolable protection was provided to the permanent residents of the state on the land rights and access to jobs in absolute terms .
The people view Article 370 as something that was akin to their identity and guaranteed absolute rights in terms of their permanent residency in the state and the access it provided in the government services and barred the “ outsiders” from buying land in the state. That was fundamental to their ethos and history as they did not want outsiders in their neighbhourhood .
Over the past 35 years, the definition of the Article 370 changed as lot of it was eroded , and that too with the collaboration of the regional parties , and they felt betrayed also when the political parties that exploited them in the name of greater autonomy for the region became partners in facilitating the intrusion of central laws . It had been reduced to symbols of a separate flag , constitution and an all-time most powerful state legislature among all the states in the country which could pass all its laws for the state without needing approval from the Centre. But symbolism had a real feel as under Article 35 A , the state residents had undiluted exclusive rights to own the immovable property and to jobs in the government services . Therefore, there existed a link and the Article 370 was viewed an arch of protection of the identity and real-time exclusive privileges .
The parties have got the idea of reselling this proposition after witnessing the victory of an independent candidate Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid from north Kashmir Lok Sabha elections . engineer Rashid is in Tihar jail on charges of having indulged in terror funding and advocating separatism. Engineer Rashid’s victory has been interpreted as reflection of the all-pervasive sentiments of the people in Kashmir , which they also demonstrated in the two other seats in Kashmir Valley where NC an advocate of restoration of Article 370 denounced August 5, 2019 decision of abrogating it.
This opens a battle between BJP and regional parties which can change the political narration in Kashmir as the BJP is yet to see itself as a formidable force in the Valley despite having secured normalcy in the place which allows locals and tourists to breathe in fresh air without any fear . This will be tested what prevails in the Assembly polls, it will be known on October 4.
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