Released just today with among much fanfare, the Congress manifesto is the latest attempt by the grand old party to undermine the armed forces. The manifesto not only is attempting to curtail the forces’ power in the Kashmir valley but has also portrayed the disturbance in the valley as internal rebellion rather than a sustained Pakistani agenda. In furtherance to that, Congress seeks to leave the much-contested Article 370 untouched.
Within a few minutes of its release, the Congress manifesto has rendered the people disappointed with its vague and impractical promises. The first one being that of amendment of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), severely curtailing the Armed Forces power in the valley. The act has been enacted to increase security and Armed Forces powers in the disturbed areas of the country. It is no secret that the Kashmir valley is one of the most disturbed areas in the country; especially in light of the Pulwama terror attack. However, in spite of the rising tensions in the valley, in an effort to please the J&K residents and not caring about the protection of the country, Congress has stated, “The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in J&K will be reviewed. Suitable changes will be made in the text of the laws to balance the requirements of security and the protection of human rights.”
Congress has never shied away from reprimanding the army when in fact it deserved appreciation. Back in 1973, after the victorious war in 1971, Indira Gandhi government, instead of rewarding the armed forces, had made an ex-parte decision to decrease armed forces pensions by 20–40 percent without consulting armed forces headquarters. Similarly, in the wake of the Pulwama attack and tremendous bravery of the Armed Forces as evident from the Balakot air strikes, Congress seeks to assert that the Armed Forces is somehow breaching the citizens’ human rights.
Moreover, in their manifesto, Congress, strangely enough, fails to mention the separatist forces. Separatist forces are those organizations which are seeking that J&K should either be completely independent of India or should be a part of Pakistan. Removal from India is something which they have been seeking for a long time. There are several organizations like Hurriyat and JKLF who accept foreign funding to aid and orchestrate terror attacks for this purpose, which Congress has conveniently ignored. In fact, in furtherance to the separatist agenda, the grand old party has promised to leave Article 370 of the constitution untouched. In the manifesto, Congress has stated, “Congress has stood witness to the developments in Jammu & Kashmir since the Instrument of Accession was signed on 26th October, 1947. Congress affirms that the whole of Jammu & Kashmir is part of India. We also acknowledge the unique history of the state and the unique circumstances under which the state acceded to India that led to the inclusion of Article 370 in the Constitution of India. Nothing will be done or allowed to change the Constitutional position.”
The article was a gift to independent India from the Congress predecessor, Jawaharlal Nehru which has now become the Achilles heel of the country. Article 370 is precisely what is stopping J&K from being completely incorporated in India. It is also directly responsible for the fact that hostile neighbours are staking a claim on a part of our own country. Moreover, the article has led to an economic downfall of the state since it lacks any outside agencies that bring business. Instead of rectifying the grave error, Congress has now become belligerent and is willing to risk the defence and development of the country in order to save face.
However, in spite of all this, the most bizarre and dangerous part of the manifesto is the complete omission of Pakistan sponsored terror in the valley. J&K has been the bone of contention between India and Pakistan since the time of independence and Pakistan never gave up its claim of the state. In furtherance to their claim, when the hostile neighbour realised that it cannot possibly acquire the Indian state through legal methods, it resorted to creating terror outfits and financing them to achieve the purpose. Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba are prime examples. Due to the mounting evidence, the terrorist country has received international condemnation and has even been greylisted (and on the verge of blacklisting) by Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Yet, our own national party manifesto somehow completely portrays the disturbance in the valley as internal rebellion rather than a sustained Pakistani agenda. Even on Congress standards, this is completely shocking and unexpected because the manifesto comes merely a month after the Pulwama attack, for which JeM, a terror organization harboured by Pakistan, has claimed full responsibility. In light of this knowledge, the grand old party has completely absolved Pakistan’s continued sponsoring of terror in the valley.
Apart from the above, the Congress has promised more absurdities in its manifesto, including, reducing the presence of the Army and the CAPFs in the valley and entrusting more responsibility to the police. Moreover, Congress has eschewed muscular militarism. All the forces in the valley work together in harmony, the responsibility of each fixed and thoroughly followed. Congress is attempting to destroy this equilibrium. In order to pseudo please people, the grand old party is attempting to “play nice” in such a disturbed area. By making tall promises which sound perfect on paper, not only will the manifesto be an utter failure practically, but will also risk India’s defence to a large extent.