With Art 370, BJP Hoped To Win Kashmir But Is Now Losing Jammu theprint.in

More than five months after Parliament voted to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir to “fully integrate” the erstwhile state with India, even the people in Jammu are voicing their open displeasure. There is little to show that the purpose of diluting Article 370 has been achieved or is anywhere near being achieved.

The BJP-supporting, Hindu majority population of Jammu has always resented the Kashmiri dominance in matters of development, jobs, and politics. But now, it has started questioning, albeit in hushed voices, the rationale behind the Modi government’s August 2019 move. What the controversial decision has achieved is merely internationalise the somewhat dormant Kashmir issue once again. In the process, Narendra Modi-led BJP has adopted several hard measures – snap the phone and internet lines, put scores of mainstream politicians under house arrest, and heighten the distrust among common J&K citizens.