As the rumours about the reading down of Article 370 spread, on August 4, 2019, leaders of the Opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sat down together at the house of Farooq Abdullah. By the time they returned to their houses after a press conference, all communication links – internet, mobile, and land phone connection – were disconnected.
Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, four-time MLA from the Kulgam constituency and the only MLA of CPI(M) in Kashmir, and the convenor and spokesperson of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar declaration, talks about how the reading down of Article 370 was unconstitutionally established. He also spoke about the ongoing realities of Kashmir in its aftermath, including the bifurcation of the state and its transformation into a Union territory.
Below are the excerpts from the interview, which have been lightly edited for style and clarity.
The BJP has said that reducing the state’s status to a Union Territory is temporary, with the priority being the restoration of statehood very soon. How do you interpret this statement?
How can we trust a party which has floated the whole Constitution, and does not respect the constitutional position? We were not having the assembly here. In ordinary situations, whenever there is some sort of division of the state like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, etc., they are referred to the state legislatures for opinion. And it’s only in Jammu and Kashmir where a curfew was imposed, and every link was broken. Even a link connecting a patient with a doctor was broken.
People were unable to establish any outside link, except those who’re close to the BJP. We have seen curfews, lockdowns, and crackdowns. We have a long history of curfews, lockdowns, etc. happening here, but we never had this kind of an experience where every link with the citizens in Kashmir is broken, and that happened in an unprecedented way. So in that situation, decisions are made about us in the parliament and discussed but without allowing us to even access the information through the internet or telephone.
[We’re being treated] as if we were subjugated people. They were dealing with a population which is otherwise occupied. I’m so sad. They treated the whole community like that. How unfortunate it is [to be happening] in a democratic country, in a very secular country. Despite our differences, we believe that we are living in a time similar to the division of the country in 1947.
It’s an extreme phase of our history. We had difficult situations. We had governor’s rule, presidential rule, dismissals, denial of democracy as well. But this is something different. This is qualitatively different. That’s why I appeal to my fellow countrymen that there is nothing comparable happening elsewhere.
How do you see the reading down of Article 370 in a practical way and for the peace and development campaign?
In a practical way, we have lost democracy. We don’t have democracy [anymore].
I’m talking about basic rights, basic civil liberties rights. Ask this to the community.
Go to the editors or reporters, they will tell you the story. I’m not sure whether they can express it. There is so much fear and restrictions. I’m talking about the media.
It’s virtually upside down. And you can imagine the resulting dead silence now. I had the opportunity to visit Delhi because of the Supreme Court’s intervention. I met some people from the press. They were saying that there were no protests. So, I asked, ‘Have you ever reported any purchase from the Tihar jail. Have you experienced [such a thing]?
So, silence is being sold. The countrymen are being misled that there is silence, hence, there are no protests.
Such security structures, backed by the might of the state and employing every possible authoritarian move to curb the voices of the common people…How can you expect anything happening here? So that’s how silence is being treated as acceptance, which is not.
This [kind of] peace is forceful silence. And peace of the graveyard. I put it this way, if you can characterise it as peace.
Now certain political activity has started, maybe for the parliamentary elections. But again, there are some people saying elections can be held after this, though everything is complete for an election.
Also read: Not Against Idea of Elections in J&K, Says Mirwaiz, but Its Linkage With Resolution of Kashmir Issue
How far is it possible to control a large number of people in this way?
History tells us that it will be counterproductive. This whole process. We have seen silence earlier as well. But that was for a brief period. And that’s why this type of silence should not be misunderstood. I am very worried.
My concern is that the democratic process has been opened up as far as our constitutional order is concerned. It must be kept open for people everywhere, including in Jammu and Kashmir.
So that is the option which is good for peace. If you close those options, experience tells us that something wrong is happening, which is counterproductive, though we will not like to have such a situation, but it’s not the question of our likes and dislikes. The government’s policies are mostly responsible for such a situation.
I must tell you about the development. For example, electricity. In harsh winters, you’re talking about smart meters. But you don’t show any smartness in providing electricity to the consumers.
The country man must understand that because of the Indus Water Treaty, our three rivers in Jammu and Kashmir were put on the list of the Pakistani side for their use of agricultural purposes. Thus, we can’t just construct big dams. So now, the NHPC national hydro project is providing 10% relief to each state. But as far as we are concerned, we have suffered, and we must be given what we have been demanding. Whether it was this regime or that regime, this was always a very important demand from state governments, whichever state government was in power in Jammu and Kashmir and in New Delhi.
Every time assurances were made, the Rangarajan commission was there, suggesting that two hydro projects must be handed over to Jammu and Kashmir. However, this has not been done, and there has been a demand for increasing the quota that has not been met.
There is Soura Institute, Cherie Kashmir Institute of Medical scientists, one premier hospital. There are huge vacancies in faculties in the paramedics. So where is the development? [There’s] No power. No employment. The health system is not up to the mark. Soura institute is one example. Anganwadi workers, helpers are not being paid for months.
The earlier development projects that had already been started were rarely initiated and taken up by the current government.
For instance, a national highway project had been taken earlier. That’s not during their [Modi’s] period. AIIMS, in Jammu and Kashmir, earlier those decisions were taken, initiated as well. What new [projects] have they added to the long list? Even those projects are yet to be completed.
Now [take] smart cities. This area might be smart because Raj Bhavan is there. What about the rest, including downtown, which is a major component of the state, [especially after] G20. Here, you get the real information from the local people.
The number of tourists has increased and violent incidents have come down. That means peace is here, hence, [we are] ready for the election. Why is it not happening then? In 2014, when elections were held, there was huge participation from South Kashmir.
How is the administration functioning now ?
It is insensitive. When the people are not being taken into confidence, it’s simple and clear. Now a journalist, a reporter, is a link between the people and the administration, and that link was broken here.
Then there are administration bureaucrats elsewhere. Whenever there is a bureaucratic rule…that’s why our country has opted for democracy. We’re not opted for martial law like the other side of Dubai.
We have opted for a parliamentary democratic system, as a whole country. How is it that this system does not suit us? Why do the countrymen think that in the last five years, we were without an assembly even when they were talking about normalcy?
Delimitation has been conducted. But what exactly is delimitation? Previously, within the assembly, we had amended the constitution, including the separate Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. We proposed to conduct delimitation in line with the rest of the country in 2026.
Was that not good for integration? Instead, what they did is that they went for delimitation.
The Reorganisation Act was enacted and through those provisions, they conducted the delimitation, while the Kashmir Legislative Assembly had decided to go for delimitation along with the rest of the country after the census. [However,] that was not done. The criteria should have been [conducting] the census and population. The last census was conducted in 2011.
They increased seven seats. Those seven seats should have been on the basis of the size of the population. Now, [there are] six [seats] for Jammu, only one for Kashmir. The limitation is virtually disempowering the people of Kashmir. Even in Jammu, you will find that they have carved out the constituencies, virtually creating divisions on the basis of communities. Through disempowering the Kashmir region first, then in the Jammu region, later other regions and communities, they are trying every possible way to gain power.
How do you see the upcoming assembly election? What difficulties is the INDIA alliance facing in campaigning?
Despite all desperate attempts, including misuse of institutions, the fact remains that the ground seems to be slippery for the BJP because of huge discontentment among the larger sections of the people.
We must not overlook the difficulties which the opposition is facing. The present dispensation is using every tool, including the media, to spread falsehood. They are distorting the facts and pulling out all the stops to not allow the opposition to conduct their activities freely.
The INDIA alliance is still emerging as a viable opposition in most of the areas in the country, though the ongoing process is full of hurdles and difficulties for secular oppositional forces.
The emerging tendencies in different states suggest that people are looking to this emerging alternative as a viable one. The road ahead is full of difficulties and challenges, but we are hopeful that the larger sections of our society will overcome their difficulties and unite their ranks to protect the Constitution of India and a secular democracy.
