Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion on Sunday that his government stands by its decision to dilute Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and to introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is a product of high-handedness, prompted by the brutal majority enjoyed by his party in Parliament (Front page, “Will stand by decision on Art. 370, CAA: Modi,” Feb. 17). His justification, that these decisions were “in national interest and necessary”, does not hold water, given that there are umpteen number of matters of national interest to be addressed on priority, like improving the economy; job creation; resurrecting ailing PSUs, etc. Also, why should a government that can invite Members of European Parliament to visit J&K, in order to get a ‘normalcy’ certificate, refuse to heed to the resolutions passed in international bodies?
A. Jainulabdeen,
Theni, Tamil Nadu
The assertion of the Prime Minister that the government will stand by its decision on Article 370 and the CAA despite international pressure shows only shows the government’s autocratic approach. He further stated that these measures were taken in national interest. Is keeping the people of Kashmir even without basic facilities of communication and freedom of speech and keeping the local leaders behind the bars, in national interest? The ‘normalcy’ claimed by the government is only illusory. Other countries, and the European Union, have already expressed their anguish and concerns about the situation. The UN Secretary General also expressed his concerns. In such a scenario, it does not speak well for the government to discard those comments, simply saying that Kashmir is an internal matter. Let it be an internal matter; but the worry is the democracy is at peril there. The government has a responsibility to look after the welfare of the Kashmir people and not to run military raj indefinitely. As for the CAA, it is sad that countrywide protests have not had any impact on the Prime Minister, perhaps emboldened by the parliamentary majority he enjoys. Many non-BJP State governments have passed resolutions against the CAA in Assemblies. Does the Central government think that it can implement the CAA without the cooperation of the people and the non-BJP State governments?
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
