Demolishing a wall, uniting a people | The Indian Express

Demolishing a wall, uniting a people | The Indian Express

Written by Akhilesh Mishra |Updated: August 13, 2019 1:45:49 am

The writer is CEO, Bluekraft Digital Foundation and was earlier director (content) MyGov

Demolishing a wall, uniting a people

With removal of special status, Kashmir has finally become one with India

The physical territory of Jammu and Kashmir merged with India in 1947. But what Article 370 ensured was that the people were, almost by design, prevented from integrating with the life-blood of the national mainstream. (AP)

Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, gave up his life fighting against Article 370. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then a feisty young leader, while speaking in the Lok Sabha in 1968, correctly predicted the disastrous consequences of keeping this divisive provision in the Constitution. Narendra Modi, then a young party activist, organised a series of public events in the 1990s, the most famous among them the Tiranga Yatra of 1993, each dedicated to the mission of fully integrating the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Sushma Swaraj’s last public message, now etched in eternity, was one of thanking Prime Minister Modi for fulfilling a long-cherished dream in her lifetime. BJP is now, for the first time in its existence, close to a working majority in the Rajya Sabha. And the first major decision taken by PM Modi when this milestone was achieved, was to abrogate Article 370