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Dent in Gupkar alliance- Eleven leaders from PDP join BJP in Rajouri- welcomed by J&K BJP president Ravindra Raina

Eleven leaders from PDP and their supporters joined the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Tuesday. The PDP leaders joined the saffron party in the presence of J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina. PDP which lost 11 leaders along with the supporters is a part of the Gupkar alliance. This event lends a huge dent in the progress and the image of the alliance.

The leaders who joined the BJP are PDP zonal president Sukhdev Singh; Subedar Gian Chand; Prithvi Raj Khokhar; Capt Ram Lal Choudhary; Bhagwan Dass; Tara Chand, Bachan Singh; Ajay Choudhary; Mohinder Singh; Sushil Kumar; and Dr Shadi Lal. Apart from the leaders, hundreds of their supporters too joined the BJP.

Terming the PDP as a sunken ship, Ravinder Raina welcomed the boat jumpers from PDP into the party fold.

Raina further commented that continuous Pakistan-favouring rhetoric and anti-national uttering by senior PDP leadership has made it lose the faith of the public as well as its leaders completely.

On the other hand, National Conference patron and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah had recently hit out at those who were labeling the Gupkar Alliance parties as a “gang”.  He said that the Gupkar alliance members are not enemies of the nation but a group of believers in an India of Mahatama Gandhi. The NC leader said parties which are part of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) cannot fight on a single election symbol, which is why they will be putting up joint candidates during the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Seven mainstream parties of Jammu and Kashmir had come together to form the PAGD on October 15. The alliance has been formed with an objective to seek the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status. National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, People’s Conference, Awami National Conference, CPM, CPI and J&K People’s Movement are part of the political amalgam. Hitting out at the BJP, Farooq said that the national party was trying to divide the people on the basis of religion.

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Land laws and associated acts of J&K changed by the Central government, Gupkar alliance calls this a “huge betrayal”

J&K had its special protection based land laws revoked and changed recently, as per which an Indian resident (from anywhere in India) is now eligible to purchase or sell land in the Union Territory. Government of India has amended the land laws and revoked the special status protection laws, which the permanent residents of J&K enjoyed earlier. However, as an important rider, these amended laws are only restricted to J&K and are not applicable in Ladakh.

As per the reformed laws, outsiders are now allowed to buy and sell agricultural and urban lands in J&K, permit the industrial set up for development, can allow contract farming on the agricultural lands, and insulate their ‘zones’ as per the development plan. This was not possible earlier, since the ownership remained in the hands of the permanent residents only. In addition to this, non-agricultural workers do not have any area restrictions when it comes to buying the land and cultivating it. No land area restriction is imposed on setting up a resident or a local shop in J&K as it is there in Himachal Pradesh and other hilly areas in India.

Government occupied land for industrial and commercial uses can now be sold to anyone, as compared to the earlier scenario when only permanent residents were allowed to purchase such land.

Omar Abdullah, the Vice President of the National Conference gave a statement on this decision taken by the Centre, “J&K has been put up for sale and left bereft of any basic protections. The amendments add to the fear of demographic changes. They want to alter the character of this place.”

People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration – an alliance of the major political parties of J&K such as the National Conference, People’s Conference, CPM, PDP, and CPI called this move by the Union government as a “huge betrayal”. They described this decision by the center as an assault on the basic rights of all the J&K residents.

However, not all of the protection acts have been lifted, as the government has only reformed these acts with certain modifications. As per Section 133 H of the Agrarian Reforms Act, the sale of agricultural land cannot be made to a non-agriculturist. Although, this can happen under certain circumstances, where the land can be given to “a Company or a Corporation or a Board established by or under a statute and owned and controlled by the Government or a Government Company as defined in the Companies Act, 2013.”

The major land laws and acts that have been revoked are – The Jammu and Kashmir Alienation of Land Act, Samvat 1995, The Jammu and Kashmir Big Landed Estates Abolition Act, Samvat 2007, the Jammu and Kashmir Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1956, and The Jammu and Kashmir Consolidation of Holding Act, 1962.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness. 

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Govt orders withdrawal of 10k paramilitary forces from J&K with immediate effect

In view of the changing situation of Jammu and Kashmir, the Central Government has taken a big decision of immediately withdrawing around 10,000 paramilitary forces personnel.

According to the Home Ministry, 100 companies of paramilitary forces will be called back from the state. The decision comes after reviewing the security situation in J&K, 40 companies belong to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). While 20 companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Armed Security Force (SSB) will be sent back.

This big decision was taken a year after removing Section 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and reorganizing the state. On 5 August 2019, the Modi government abolished Article 370 and Article 35A from Jammu and Kashmir. At that time, 400 additional companies were deployed, before 20 companies of central paramilitary forces were recalled in early December 2019, while 72 companies were removed in the last week of December.

The Central Government issued an order on Wednesday, ordering the immediate withdrawal of 10,000 paramilitary personnel. After the order of the Central Armed Police Force is issued, the process of withdrawal of these companies will start in the next two-three days. And they will be deployed elsewhere as per their need in the country. The units being removed were currently deployed in Jammu and Srinagar. It is believed that most of the militant commanders operating in the state have been killed. Incidents of violent demonstrations and stone-pelting have also reached their lowest level and after deep brainstorming on all these subjects, the Central Government has taken this decision.

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J&K Update: Article 370 revoked, state divided into 2 Union Territories

In a big announcement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced in Rajya Sabha that the government has decided to repeal Article 370 of the Constitution which grants special status to J&K.

The Indian Army and Indian Air Force have been put on high alert, following revoking of Article 370 and other decisions announced by Government of India.

Shah is likely to make a similar statement in the Lok Sabha later today.

The government has also decided to bifurcate the state into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without a legislature.

While Shah’s announcement invited a huge ruckus in the house, back in the Valley, three of Jammu and Kashmir’s most prominent politicians — Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Sajjad Lone are under house arrest amid a massive security-built up in the state.

Additional paramilitary forces, which arrived in Kashmir in the past few days, have been deployed across the city and in other vulnerable areas of the valley.

Internet services and mobile services have been suspended in several places and all public gatherings are banned in Srinagar district as section 144 was imposed from midnight.

Drafted in Part XXI, under Temporary and Transitional Provisions, 370 is an extension of Article 35A, which allows the state to have its own constitution, flag and the right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.

Governor Satya Pal Malik had earlier dismissed speculations that the Centre might be planning to do away with Article 35A of the Constitution, which gives exclusive rights to the state’s residents in government jobs and land.

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Fate of Jammu and Kashmir elections to be decided after Amarnath Yatra ends

The decision comes even as former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti criticised the local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for backing the demand to lift the freeze on delimitation of assembly seats in the state.

The poll panel said it has unanimously decided that “holding of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir shall be considered later in this year”.

On account of security issues, simultaneous assembly elections were not held along with the six J&K Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in April. After the BJP pulled out of the coalition government in June 2018, Governor’s rule was imposed in the state, which was followed after six months with the imposition of President’s rule. In March, the EC decided not to hold polls for the assembly and Lok Sabha simultaneously in the state, citing security concerns.

The Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly has 87 seats – 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu and 4 in Ladakh.

The 46-day-long Amarnath yatra will begin on July 1, the day of Masik Shivratri, and would conclude on August 15, the day of Shravan Purnima.