J&K Assembly elections
The 2024 Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections arescheduled from 18th September 2024 to 1st October 2024 in 3 phases. Fundamentalist political families are gearing up to capture power, by promising to restore Articles 370 and 35, revive trade with Pakistan, and renaming Shankaracharya Hill as Takht-e-Suleiman, and Hari Hill as Koh-e-Maran.
Make no mistake, the fundamentalists are all set to return, and once again the Pandits will have to return to the streets of Delhi or elsewhere. The Central government has to face one more hostile State government, but Jammu & Kashmir is a different ballgame altogether. Ever since India gained independence, Kashmir governed by fundamentalist, and corrupt political families, has been leaning heavily on Pakistan, which has been dictating the Kashmir agenda. Their ploy is crystal clear, driving out all the Hindus, Buddhists, and the miniscule Christian population, from Kashmir, a 100% fundamentalist Muslim population will ensure a sudden break away from the Indian mainland and would be gobbled up by Pakistan. A handful of so-called All India Service officers, who are cowardly careerists, would flee for their lives. The Army and the Central Police forces, would as usual bear the brunt of murderous terror attacks. Local media and international media would conspire and release absolutely biased reports and coerce India into a very tight spot. What has brought Kashmir to face another terror innings, through the medium of elections?
The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had ordered the Election Commission to conduct elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly before September 30, 2024. The court also directed the Centre for the restoration of Statehood. Jammu & Kashmir has been seeing a reasonable period of peace, and development, after the BJP Central government, came to power and decided to tackle the spectre of terrorism, by handling the bull by the horns. What was the urgent necessity to hold elections, knowing fully well, that there is no cessation in the terror violence, happening in the border districts by trained Pakistani army personnel, masquerading as terrorists? For over 70 years, the terror violence has claimed the lives of so many members of our armed forces, minority Hindus, especially Kashmiri Pandits, thousands of Hindu girls, abducted, raped and converted or butchered. Did the Judiciary ever question the continuous butchery happenings in Kashmir?
The fundamentalist corrupt, political families, were preparing earnestly for the critical moment to announce a breakaway from the Indian Mainland. The bold measures brought in by Shri. Narendra Modi’s government has ameliorated the general living conditions, but it must not be forgotten that the Islamic ideology is a very powerful imprint on every Muslim, whether they live in Kashmir, Kerala, Europe, or the USA. Islam is a very rigid religion, having its own legal, social, cultural, political, and even apparel code! These are sustained, imposed, and compelled by the Madrassa system of education, a unique system of indoctrination, unparalleled in any other religion or belief system. From a very tender age, children are brainwashed and indoctrinated in Arabic, a foreign language, about the religion that originated in Saudi Arabia. Once they grow up, as indoctrinated believers, they are dispossessed of the broadmindedness to see beyond the tenets of their religion. It is pointless preaching to them about equality of religions, nationalism, and patriotism. The rot in Kashmir is not confined to the corrupt and fundamentalist political families, but even the general population, which cannot see beyond religion. This is the same malaise affecting Gaza, Bangladesh, Europe, and soon to rattle the USA.
Should the judiciary not have seen the larger picture? Are elections more important than national security, the lives of common people, defence forces, and minority Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians? Even if the judiciary was of the opinion that elections are an imperative necessity, should it not have laid down the terms and conditions? Yes, elections but as in commercial parlance ‘Terms & Conditions apply’.
Recently, the Bombay High Court, forbid the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a coalition of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and Nationalist Congress Party (SP), to call off their planned bandh on August 24 in Maharashtra. The MVA initially called the bandh in response to the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls in the Badlapur district. The High Court noted that enforcing the bandh would paralyze normal life and cited its 2004 order declaring such bandhs as unconstitutional. Similarly, the Supreme Court could have imposed safeguards, namely, in the Election Manifesto of every political party, their candidates, and every Independent candidate, there should be zero references to Article 370, and 35A, no proposal for renaming any place, no proposal for any kind of dialogue with Pakistan, no proposal for trade resumption on the LOC, a firm commitment by every political party and their candidates and independent candidates, in the form of sworn affidavit, before the Supreme Court, affirming in writing, their commitment to uphold the Constitution, national flag, national anthem, and strictly observe religion-neutrality. Election manifestos, speeches, and interviews in the media should be only about economic development, generating employment for youth, boosting tourism, establishing educational institutions, and improving health infrastructure and quality of life. There should not be any kind of reference to any religion, or terrorism whether in Kashmir or elsewhere. Any violation by any political party or candidate should result in instantaneous disqualification, and debarring from contesting in any future elections for any post. The job of every Election Observer would be to be on the lookout for any kind of infringement of these conditions. Maybe, this can be interpreted as a kind of censorship, but it should be kept in mind, that the right to a peaceful existence is the most paramount of all rights. By such a simple order by the Supreme Court, fundamentalist political families can be restrained, and prevented from scheming divisive agendas. Elections in India should be focussed only about future development schemes and proposals.
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1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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