“Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan aur Do Nishan nahi chalenge” (A single country can’t have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two national emblems). These are the words of visionary leader Syama Prasad Mukherjee on the issue of Kashmir and its administrative structure which had reeled on till the morning of 5th August 2019. The developments in the parliament today regarding abrogation of Article 370 and reorganization of the terror affected state surely are a tribute to the leader who lost his life under suspicious conditions in the same state.
With support coming from across party line for this progressive move, opposition from Congress and Communist parties was expected however shockingly the most surprising support came from Arvind Kejriwal led AAP in the Upper House. “We support the government on its decisions on J & K. We hope this will bring peace and development in the state,” Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted.
We support the govt on its decisions on J & K. We hope this will bring peace and development in the state.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 5, 2019
Nonetheless looking at the long standing anti-BJP stand of the AAP, this move is sure to raise some eyebrows. Earlier Prashant Bhushan , a founding member of the AAP had called for referendum in Kashmir and said “People should be asked whether they want that the army to handle the internal security of Kashmir. Any decision which does not have the backing of the people is undemocratic. If people feel that the Army is violating human rights and they say they don’t want the Army to be deployed for their security then the Army should be withdrawn from the hinterland,”. And now party’s move to take a total 180 degree from the earlier secessionist stand is poised to be a big political gamble for the party already fighting for its existence.
Before the LS elections in Delhi, Kejriwal had left no stone unturned to woo the Muslims but the results were a rude reality check. In Muslim influential constituencies, AAP candidates stood third. The Muslims went for the Congress instead of AAP.
As an appeasement move, AAP had also announced that the salaries of imams will be increased from Rs. 10,000 per month to Rs. 18,000 per month. Finally sensing an eminent defeat in the Lok Sabha elections Kejriwal had blamed the Muslim community for “shifting their vote to Congress”. However, these comments by Arvind Kejriwal only pointed towards AAP’s failure in this front too.
AAP and many other parties were fighting an existential battle in this general election. Desperate to save political ground from the BJP, steps like fear mongering and misleading the electorate were the top tactics used by the opposition camp.
“Until 48 hours before polling, it seemed like all seven seats will come to AAP. But at the last moment, the complete Muslim vote got shifted to Congress. We are trying to figure out what happened,” Kejriwal said.
Now by backing the removal of 370, which many opposition parties including NDA ally Nitish Kumar have decided to use as another minority appeasement tool , Arvind Kejriwal is hoping to radically change his party’s image from a pro-Muslim party to a party that takes its nationalistic duties seriously but the voter of this country is intelligent enough to see through this charade.