Article 370 dominates J&K Assembly session as public issues take backseat

Srinagar: Amid growing political friction in Jammu and Kashmir, a blame game has intensified within the Union Territory’s (UT) Legislative Assembly with parties squabbling over past mistakes and failures instead of focusing on public welfare.

Crucial discussions on pressing topics such as unemployment, infrastructure development, and environmental concerns have been overshadowed by debates surrounding the revocation of contentious Article 370 and the restoration of statehood, issues that have garnered significant media attention.

During the first day of the Budget session of the J&K UT Assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah weighed in on the controversial Article 370, stating there was no need for a new resolution on its restoration. He argued that the resolution passed by the Assembly in its first sitting last year had not been rejected by the Central government.

Sajjad Lone, the sole legislator from J&K People’s Conference, introduced amendments addressing Article 370, the repeal of the Public Safety Act, and a probe into alleged election rigging during the 1987 Assembly elections. However, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejected these amendments on procedural grounds, leading Lone to stage a walkout in protest.

BJP legislator and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma dismissed the discussion on Article 370, calling it “foolishness.” He stated, “Article 370 is now history, and everyone should accept it. Continuing to discuss it misleads the public.”

NC Minister Sakeena Itoo joined the debate, accusing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being responsible for the revocation of Article 370 and the loss of J&K’s statehood. “PDP is accountable for the current situation, and they’ve betrayed the people,” she said.

Countering NC’s claims, PDP legislator Waheed Para said the government paper presented by Omar Abdullah’s cabinet, ignores the core agenda of the ruling party and contradicts its promises to the people.

“What is included is included, but what’s missing is NC’s core agenda, which is in conflict with this paper. That’s why the BJP is praising it — they see it not as NC’s manifesto but as their own,” Para said.

Political observers say the lack of focus on public welfare amidst this blame game has led to growing discontent among common people. “The blame game only distracts from the real issues facing our people,” political observer Javid Trali told DH.

Trali, who heads J&K Policy Institute, a Srinagar-based think-tank, said unemployment is at an all-time high, development projects are stalled, and the common man’s voice is lost in the rhetoric of political rivalry.

The BJP-led central government’s decision to revoke Article 370 on August 5, 2019, sparked widespread protests and political backlash in the Valley. The revocation was challenged in the Supreme Court, which ruled in December 2023 that the provision was a “temporary” one.

The removal of Article 370 stripped J&K of its special status and privileges, and the region was subsequently divided into two Union Territories—J&K and Ladakh. Restoration of Article 370 and statehood had been a key issue in the previous year’s assembly elections, the first to be held in J&K in a decade.