Why only Kashmir, revoke special status for other Indian states, too

Published: Wed 7 Aug 2019, 9:00 PM

Last updated: Wed 7 Aug 2019, 11:41 PM

This is regarding the scrapping of Article 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution with respect to state of Jammu and Kashmir. We all know that these articles are temporary and had to be removed one day.
But show me one Kashmiri in Kashmir who is, rather, who can at least express his or her views, opinion about this scrapping? Except Kashmiris, who have to decide about their home state, everyone else is discussing the issue! All the Kashmiris have been barred from taking decisions about their own state which is what they were promised when the state acceded to India. Not even free to express opinions, they are locked up in their homes, communication is cut off, they are surrounded by massive army, state's completely shut down.
Is this how it should have been done? It is a complete disgrace, and a humiliation to the Kashmiris.
People are talking about the special status given to the state through these articles. But it is not just Kashmir that had such a status, many more Indian states have been given special statuses through special articles. Article 371, Article 371(A-J) are in place for almost all north-eastern states, Himachal Pradesh, and some regions in Maharashtra and Gujarat. No one except the son of the soil can buy land in north-eastern states.
Then why only Kashmir has been targeted? Is it becasue the state has a majority population of Muslims? This seems to be the truth. Just like Assam, which is being thrust with the National Register of Citizens formality due its Muslim majority population. The selective choice is clearly visible by the fact that the BJP government hasn't done the same in Arunachal Pradesh.
This is also due to real-estate interests of some powerful people in the state. This is evident from the fact that the BJP never raised the issue of displaced Kashmiri Hindu Pandits during its previous tenure.
It's a lie that the government revoked the special status of Kashmir for the betterment of the state and its people. Do they have even one BJP-ruled state which has not gone many years backwards after the Bharatiya Janata Party took over the reins in that state?
-Yousufa Mohamed, Abu Dhabi
 

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