Leaders of different political parties in J&K on Monday said they were put under house arrest on the fifth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370. Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) distributed sweets and held a rally in Srinagar to celebrate the revocation of the special status.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress held a protest rally in Jammu against the revocation while almost all top leaders claimed they were under house arrest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Narendra Modi said on X, “Today, we mark 5 years since the Parliament of India decided to abrogate Articles 370 and 35(A), a watershed moment in our nation’s history. It was the start of a new era of progress and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.”
He said that with the abrogation came security, dignity and opportunity for the women, youth, backward, tribal and marginalised communities. “It has ensured that corruption, which plagued J&K for decades, is kept at bay. I assure the people of J&K and Ladakh that our government will keep working for them and fulfil their aspirations,” he added.
Security was enhanced across the Kashmir valley as thousands of policemen and paramilitary personnel patrolled the streets to ward off any untoward incident.
Former J&K chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah while mocking the BJP’s celebrations in Srinagar said it was happening as leaders of political parties were put under house arrest. “A handful of BJP leaders are encouraged to celebrate today while those who would have registered their protest against what was done to J&K are locked up in homes across the valley,” he wrote on X. National Conference chief spokesman Tanveer Sadiq said that most of the party leaders have been put under house arrest on the fifth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370.
“I have been detained at home which is completely unnecessary. I wanted to leave for some work, but policemen outside my gate prevented me. This is unwarranted and illegal,” Tanvir Sadiq said while sharing a picture of a cop at the entrance of his house.
The National Conference, in a statement said, most of its leaders were put under house arrest.
“The government has once again unjustly placed our leaders under house arrest, effectively isolating the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha in Srinagar. This blatant suppression of mainstream democratic activities only serves to showcase the administration’s fear and exposes the hollowness of their claims of progress over the past five years. August 5, 2019, remains a stark reminder of the disempowerment of the people of J&K, a process that continues unchecked with the absence of a democratically elected government in the region,” the NC said in a statement.
Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the party held a protest in Jammu against the revocation of Article 370.
“While the BJP continues its charade of orchestrating celebrations to mark the revocation of J&K’s special status, PDP successfully protested against the same in Jammu. This was remarkable given that attempts were made to foil these protests. Serves well to expose BJPs false claims of normalcy in J&K,” Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X while sharing the videos of the protest demonstration in Jammu. Many PDP leaders including former ministers and legislators claimed that they were not allowed to move out from their houses.
People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Lone said that August 5 reminded the people of J&K about their disempowerment. “Five years on, there is no elected Assembly and the locals have no say in running their own affairs. And there aren’t enough powerful voices in the country to seek questions as to why J&K has been selectively targeted,” he said in a statement.
J&K Congress workers also held a protest in Jammu and termed the day as black one when the state was bifurcated into two UTs. The protest was led by J&K Congress president Viqar Rasool Wani and other senior leaders of party.
“The Congress is observing the ‘black day’ today to protest against degrading of J&K from a full-fledged historical state into two union territories. J&K was a historical state endowed by the Maharaja with a state subject to safeguard the land and jobs of the native population. The BJP has undermined our rights politically and celebrating the 5th anniversary of UT,” the J&K Congress president said.
Dozens of BJP leaders held a rally celebrating the abrogation of Article 370. The BJP leaders who were part of the rally said that the revocation of the Article 370 not only ended disparity but also helped in restoration of peace. The BJP leaders and workers also raised slogans against the “dynastic rule” and said that rule of law was restored in the J&K post abrogation of Article 370. “Today’s rally is for celebration of the revocation of Article 370. The things in J&K have changed towards peace and development,” said BJP state spokesman Altaf Thakur who was part of the rally.
No untoward incident was reported from any part of Kashmir on the fifth anniversary of revocation of Article 370.