As Modi government’s J&K policy gradually introduces unprecedented political stability in the region, the time to deliver on promises made to Kashmiri Pandits is now

What used to happen in Jammu and Kashmir in the past, especially politically, would barely ever stay or sustain in Jammu and Kashmir.

But are we now witnessing a refreshing paradigm shift in the political dynamics of J&K, albeit gradual and periodic, which will ultimately allow J&K to advance into a state of political tranquility for its own greater good?… For those who understand the difference between the J&K of pre-August 2019 and the contemporary J&K, the answer would most likely be a resounding yes. 

By all means, it seems that glimpses of political stability, and the much-needed political parity between the two regions, have started to appear on the horizon after decades of chaos and discrimination. 

It is courtesy of a series of positive developments that have taken place post the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A in August 2019, with the commencement of the delimitation process being the latest case in point. 

However, one of the pressing debates amid all this has been: whether or not the Modi government could have shown greater alacrity towards restoring the political process in J&K? After the scrapping of the special status of the erstwhile state of J&K, why did the Centre have to wait for almost two years to formally kickstart the delimitation exercise with much zeal and not merely for optics? … A legitimate debate for sure. 

image source : aljazeera.com

However, while acknowledging the legitimacy of the debate, it is only imperative to ascertain whether the argument holds water - especially in the context of as perplexing and complex an idea as J&K - so as to warrant wholesale criticism of the Modi government’s Kashmir approach. 

Commentators with partisan interests may not admit the reality but it does not take a mind with supreme political acumen to realise that the last two years have seen a steady and systematic marginalisation of secessionist voices in Kashmir, primarily those that masquerade as the mainstream Kashmiri political leadership. 

Revocation of J&K’s dubiously special status was a constitutional move that gave the final and incontestable stamp on the complete integration of the region with the rest of India. However, the task was not finished there. A combination of foresight and patience was required to usher in a promising new era of Naya Jammu and Kashmir, accompanied by the all-important message that the otherwise perpetually running cottage industry of separatism operated by, among others, the National Conference (NC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the overt secessionists like Hurriyat had no place in the reinvented scheme of things unless they vowed undiluted and unequivocal loyalty to the Indian Constitution. 

The job is far from over yet but the progress made so far only leads to an anticipation of positive developments in months to come. This was evident during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting in New Delhi with the so-called stakeholders of J&K including the Abdullahs, the Muftis and the others. Notwithstanding the assertiveness and reiteration of the demand for restoration of Article 370/35A in the post-meeting media briefings, a sense of surrender to the advent of a novel and refreshing chapter in the story of Jammu and Kashmir was conspicuous in the body language of all the Kashmiri leaders present at the gathering. Now if this sense of surrender is not a significant victory in itself, it is difficult to tell what is. 

With the Modi government putting its foot on the gas to resurrect electoral politics in J&K at all levels, delimitation being a major step towards it, it will eventually pave the way for the return of full statehood status for the present union territory. 

image source : ndtv.com

Therefore, for those who frequently lambast the government for designing a “failed” or “lacklusture” Kashmir policy after the historic August 2019 development in the Indian Parliament, the answer is summarised in one of the earlier paragraphs in this piece. The Jammu and Kashmir of 2021 with regional political players reflecting the same old mindset of taking the Constitution of India for a ride would have been like old wine in a new bottle, entirely defeating the purpose of bringing J&K into the Indian mainstream and rescuing it from the clutches of a preposterous law that consistently sabotaged the former state for decades. 

The cause of the Kashmiri Pandits and the Modi government’s time to deliver 

For the Modi government, what must stand as a big priority, if not the biggest, in the Naya Jammu and Kashmir is walking the talk as far as restoring the lost pride of the Kashmiri Pandits through their rehabilitation is concerned. The rectification of J&K’s political landscape means nothing unless what is long overdue is given to the KPs, which is an honourable return to their homeland. 

The scars of Islamic terror inflicted on the Pandit community run deep and cannot be healed easily. Moreover, empty hopes and false promises made over the years by successive governments have only dented the faith of the KPs in the establishment further. The Modi government’s Kashmir policy came as a ray of positive change for the KPs which must translate into a substantial result as the Centre has been promising the Kashmiri Pandits the stars and the moon since 2014.

image source : thewire.in

Some KP representative groups expressed displeasure over not being invited to participate in the meeting in New Delhi which PM Modi held with the political class of J&K earlier in June. Although the disappointment over not being made a part of what was essentially a political meeting is debatable, there are no ways about the fact that KPs are the true stakeholders of Kashmir with their stake far more pronounced than that of Kashmir’s political leadership. 

The Pandit community has endured the worst form of persecution since the late 80s that marked the onset of radical Islamic terror in Kashmir aimed at wiping out the minority Hindu community from the valley. It was followed by the apathetic attitude of people at the higher echelons of power primarily because KPs do not constitute a sizeable vote bank. 

Hence, the buck stops with the Modi government to convert seven years of repeated assurances into a concrete outcome that works in favour of the cause of the Kashmiri Pandits. Constituting a special framework, unlike any other in the past, which is specifically dedicated to the issue of rehabilitation of KPs could be an ideal step at this juncture and it must happen in tandem with the revival of electoral politics in J&K. 

One can predict that there are interesting times up ahead in J&K politics and the Pandit community will hope that their faith in PM Modi, and his government, gets rewarded sooner rather than later.   

Second wave of COVID-19 bled India profusely but Modi government’s resolute vaccination drive must make every Indian proud

It hit us last year when we were least prepared for it. After a bit of a lull, it hit us again to challenge our endurance and tenacity. The eruption of the gigantic second wave of COVID-19 in April created havoc all across India, gripping the country in a situation of unprecedented panic and desperation. Far more tumultuous than the first wave that locked India down for months, the coronavirus onslaught in 2021 has put the collective endurance of our nation to perhaps its biggest test ever. 

One could argue that a nonchalant attitude of the public at large towards COVID-appropriate behaviour cost the nation dearly in the second wave. People let their guard down after India went into a phase-wise unlock mode weeks before last winter, following the historic nationwide lockdown that was imposed by the Centre after the pandemic started gaining momentum in March 2020. 

image source : indiatoday.in

The chaos that transpired between April to mid-June saw the daily cases crossing a whopping 4 lakh mark, more than anywhere else in the COVID-ravaged world. India’s COVID positivity rate in April went several notches up compared to April 2020. This time one of the biggest fears came true when the rampaging virus penetrated India’s semi-urban and rural belt with states such as UP, Bihar and Chhattisgarh reporting more than 20,000 daily cases for a prolonged period as against the relative calm of the first wave. 

Reports of a shortage of medical oxygen in hospitals created a massive controversy that spread like wildfire, adding to the scare of an already petrified populace. A huge question mark rose over the ability and preparedness of the central and the state governments to counter the resurgent COVID-19 assault. The country was staring down the barrel of a colossal battle against the invisible enemy that could last months or years. 

Where we are now, with the cases having plateaued between 40,000 - 50,000 per day in the last couple of weeks, the COVID positivity rate plummeting constantly due to rising recoveries and people getting vaccinated at a rapid pace - India could at best breathe a sigh of relief without claiming victory against COVID-19 by any stretch of the imagination. 

Hopefully, an impending third wave would be less lethal than the second but neither the experts nor the medical fraternity could be certain about it, in which case India must brace itself for yet another roller coaster. Therefore, a departure from COVID appropriate behaviour, as was witnessed before the second wave intensified, will be a recipe for disaster. 

COVID politics 

Quite expectedly, the COVID situation has given an opportunity to the lobby constituted by the political opposition and the anti-Modi camp to launch a tirade of heavy criticism, albeit misplaced and unwarranted, on the Union government’s handling of the pandemic. The lobby has constantly used the crisis to its advantage by politicising the pandemic and pitting non-BJP ruled states against the Modi government to give it a centre vs state spin in what should otherwise be a collaborative fight against COVID-19. 

image source : dnaindia.com

From exaggerating and spreading panic over the alleged shortage of medical oxygen to running a misinformation campaign in order to give out the fallacious impression that the government is not committed to inoculating its citizens, the propaganda machinery has been operating full time with people like Rahul Gandhi castigating the Modi government’s COVID strategy from the cozy comfort of his house without any awareness of the ground reality. 

India’s COVID strategy and COVID diplomacy - a trendsetter 

While it is fair to admit that India has been found wanting on certain fronts in its response to the pandemic but then so has been the developed world. Affluent countries like France, Germany, Italy, Australia, the UK and the US have all seen their health infrastructure come under severe pressure to tackle COVID-19. 

However, the unfortunate part is that instead of acknowledging the government’s endeavour to make the vaccine available for all Indians in the quickest possible time despite a paucity of resources, there has been a concerted attempt courtesy of the lobby to push the country into a denial mode of the Modi administration’s sincere COVID policy. But the beauty of history is that it only remembers reality, not false propaganda. 

image source : indiatvnews.com

It cannot be denied that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took COVID diplomacy to a whole new level by coming to the aid of impoverished nations through a generous donation of medicines and vaccine doses. Even middle-income countries like South Africa and Brazil have relied heavily on India’s support. The Modi government has truly lived to the age-old Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) without expecting any economic, strategic or diplomatic favours from the world in return. 

Modi government’s vaccination drive outperforms the developed world 

As far as the Modi government’s commitment to vaccinating its citizens is concerned, one can only say that the devil is in the detail.

With a population of nearly 33 crore, the US currently reports having administered just over 32 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in about 200 days. Sheltering a mammoth population of 1.3 billion, India - on the other hand - has already administered more than a whopping 34 crore doses of its indigenously manufactured vaccines Covishield and Covaxin in only five and a half months. Hence, outpacing the wealthy and resource-rich United States. 

image source : deccanherald.com

Juxtapose India’s tally with the rich European nations - France, Germany and the UK, each of these countries with a population of less than 10 crore, and one realises how well India has done so far by outperforming the so-called first world countries. UK and France, both having a population of approximately 6.7 crore have administered around 7.5 crore doses in over 200 days and about 5.2 crore doses in over 180 days respectively. Whereas Germany has administered a little over 7 crore doses in roughly six months. 

On the diplomatic front, India has been unrelenting in its legitimate demand to include the Serum Institute of India (SII)-manufactured Covishield in the list of approved vaccines for the EU Green Pass after Covishield, a version of AstraZeneca, was left out of Europe’s new ‘vaccine passport’ programme due to lack of approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). 

The Indian government made it clear in unequivocal terms to the EU that its vaccines will similarly not be approved by India if Covidshield or Covaxin were not included in the EU Green Pass. In effect, it means that travellers from the EU would have to serve mandatory quarantine upon arrival in India. As of now Greece, Iceland, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, and Austria are the European nations that have approved Covishield for the Green Pass while the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently came out in support of Covishield’s inclusion in Europe’s travel schemes. 

So where exactly has PM Modi or the Government of India let us down in their resolve to fight and defeat COVID-19? … Nowhere! Is there a scope for improvement in the government’s blueprint?  …There always is. But these are exceptional times that demand all of us, especially the lobby, to come together, shun partisan interests and support the government with deserved appreciation and sensible criticism.