In a recent statement, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that his administration had framed a roadmap of the next 25 years about the changes that are going to happen in the union territory. And such a roadmap would hardly be realizable, should power in future pass into the hands of the local political parties who, in a democratic set up would be accountable to people. This would make them unable to take steps which don’t enjoy support among their political constituency.
But this fear of a democratic rule would only prolong the ongoing central rule and, in turn, indefinitely delay the restoration of statehood.
Unease in Jammu and Ladakh
On September 7, former J&K Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah told party workers at Nawa-i-Subah complex, which houses the headquarters of his party National Conference, that the ruling BJP is non-existent in Kashmir and has forfeited its political space in the Jammu division as well.
“BJP has lost its political ground and relevance across both provinces of Jammu and Kashmir due to its anti-people policies. They had promised a lot to the people of the Jammu province but delivered poorly on the ground,” Abdullah said. “BJP betrayed the trust of the people in the region, leaving them feeling cheated. People are suffering due to dilapidated roads, huge power cuts, non-availability of potable water and acute deficiency of teaching staff in the schools.”
It is true that Jammu is witnessing a degree of anxiety about the post-Article 370 state of affairs and for more or less similar reasons as in Kashmir Valley: loss of jobs, land and identity. People apprehend that the militancy in the Valley will persuade all eligible outsiders to settle in Jammu. People from outside are expected to find Jammu safer and culturally favourable. Besides, the new residency law has already granted citizenship to West Pakistan refugees, Gurkhas and Valmikis, who live in Jammu.
In fact, other than the BJP, all other parties in Jammu, including the Congress, have expressed their unhappiness with the existing situation. An undercurrent of unease is also underlined by the videos of the interviews of the people from the region. Jammu fears becoming the first stop in the impending demographic change being facilitated by the new domicile rules for J&K.
Ditto for Ladakh
The union territory carved out of J&K is now more alienated than ever before. Ladakh has experienced significant growth in its tourism sector, attracting an increasing number of visitors. This has played a big role in bolstering the local economy. However, the region’s transition to union territory status in August 2019 has increasingly confronted Ladakhis with challenges they had not foreseen. While initially celebrating this change, they now worry about the potential influx of outsiders without adequate constitutional safeguards against the settlement of non-local residents. With a small population of around 274,000 people, Ladakhis fear being overwhelmed and losing control over their economic activities.
