Abrogation of Article 370 was the biggest policy mistake by India, says Omar Abdullah

Seeking the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said that the abrogation of Article 370 was the biggest policy mistake done by the Indian government. He was answering a question on the single biggest policy mistake India could make in Kashmir over the next decade. “You have already made it, in 2019,” he said. He was in conversation with Dr. Narayan Lakshman, Opinion Editor, The Hindu, and Curator, The Hindu Huddle, in a session titled ‘Beyond the Valley: The role of Kashmir in great power politics’.

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Difficult to make ‘One Nation, One Election’ work in India

In a candid conversation on myriad issues, Mr. Abdullah reflected on the geostrategic significance of Jammu and Kashmir, the perception about Muslim youth of the valley, the impact of West Asian conflict on the state, the complex issues affecting it. He also spoke elaborately about the linkage made by the Central government between development and abrogation of Article 370, stating that the two were not related. While expressing his opinion on ‘One Nation, One Election’, he said that it was realistically difficult to make it work in a diverse country like India.

Different rules exist for other places

“The clauses in Article 370 were never a cause of lack of development in Jammu and Kashmir. It has suffered due to 30-35 years of violence. The fact that J&K was perceived as an unsafe place, is what we paid the price of,” he said, adding that there are several other states in the country where different rules are applicable at the regional level. “The BJP had said that we can’t have two different systems in the same country. That was the stick used to beat us. But there are other places where you can’t buy land, or face other restrictions. It is a part of politics of the BJP. And we are suffering because of it,” he said.

‘Statehood is a commitment’

Questioning the BJP over the alleged commitment of the Prime Minister, termed as ‘Modi ka wada’, he sought statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. He sought that the Union government should clarify the parameters for taking the decision, and a stipulated time frame for it. “It was a commitment that delimitation will be followed by election, and that statehood will follow. But it is nowhere to be seen. We don’t know when the appropriate time will be. How are we supposed to gauge the appropriate time?” he asked, hitting out at the central government.

‘One Nation, One Election’

When the audience asked him about ‘One Nation, One Election’, he said the diverse conditions for different state governments made its implementation difficult. He also highlighted the distrust among regional parties about its motive, and questioned the implementation in states where the government may fall before completing its term.

“Unless you decide that you will not have a vote of no confidence, unless you can prove you have a majority behind you. If you don’t have that, it is very difficult to make it work. Realistically, how do you implement it for a country as diverse as ours with state governments that are so different in conditions where there is no fixed term?” he asked.

‘Visit Kashmir’

Mr. Abdullah rued that there aren’t enough visitors from the South of the Vindhyas to Jammu and Kashmir. “Tourism often follows movies. Look at what happened to Switzerland, thanks in part to Yash Chopra’s films. We would love to see more South Indian films shot in Kashmir. These days, your films seem to be doing better than Bollywood’s, and you have bigger budgets. So I hope more films from the south are shot in Kashmir in the future,” he said.

The Hindu Huddle is presented by the Sami-Sabinsa Group as the Presenting Partner. The event is co-powered by the Government of Telangana and held in association with Khaja Bandanawaz University.

The event is further supported by Bank of Baroda, Larsen & Toubro, Apollo Hospitals, IIM Sirmaur, ICFAI Group, TAFE, Wizzmon, Uttarakhand Government, Associate Partners; Casagrand, Realty Partner; Toyota, Luxury Car Partner; Amity University Bengaluru, University Partner; Harrow International School Bengaluru, Education Partner; Meghalaya Tourism, State Partner; and NDTV 24×7, TV Partner.