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politics

Exclusive rights to land, on the tall promises he is
making on Centre’s behalf.
More so, when New Delhi is
jobs key focus of Apni Party due to implement 37 central
laws envisaged in the
Concurrent List — a list of 52
items given in the Seventh
Schedule to the Constitution
Demand for domicile rights emerges as the main the immense popularity of India — in J&K.
of scrapping of Article 370 The Order of the imple-
plank in the new J&K politics, reports riyaz wani
across the country, the mentation of these laws
space for New Delhi to make will be called the Jammu
ew Delhi is are actually implemented, some political concessions and Kashmir Reorganisa-
supposed to they will count for little as in to Kashmir is drastically tion (Adaptation of Central
be mulling past too the BJP government limited. But the centre will Laws) Order, 2020. The laws
domicile rights has made them and then certainly like to see the are designed to ensure
N for citizens of done exactly the opposite. prominent mainstream complete merger of J&K into
J&K whereby they will have For example, last year just political actors like the Indian Union.
exclusive rights to land and two days before withdrawal recently released Dr Farooq These simultaneous
jobs in the union territory. of Article 370, the PM Modi Abdullah, Omar Abdullah moves are making the shape
There have been several in- had made a promise to a and Mehbooba Mufti back
dications to this effect over delegation led by Farooq on Kashmir’s political scene
the past two weeks. Abdullah that J&K’s special but on its terms. Apni Party
First came the assurance status won’t be removed. The demand for state-
of no demographic change As of now, most of the hood and some small con- leader Bukhari
by no less than Prime Min- Centre’s energy in Kashmir cessions like letting jobs in is also seeking
ister Narendra Modi and the is focussed on maintain- the UT government remain
home minister Amit Shah ing law and order in the restricted to residents only restoration of
during a meeting with a del- state and ensuring no mass are likely to be acceptable the statehood,
egation of Apni Party led by protests take place against to New Delhi. But as things
Altaf Bukhari in the middle the nullification of J&K’s stand, it is still premature to which is likely to
of this month. Later Bukhari, autonomy. speculate about the course be acceptable
in a statement, said that It has yet to try a political Kashmir politics will take in
the centre will announce a outreach or signal it is ready weeks and months to come. to New Delhi
concrete plan for domicile to make some accom- Bukhari has a tough job
rights for people of J&K in a modation with Kashmiri on his hands. It won’t be easy of a post-Article 370 J&K still
week. demands. And considering for him to credibly deliver a work in progress. This has
Bukhari is focussing his created a lot of political un-
politics largely around a de- certainty as also the anxiety
mand for protection of land about the future.
and job rights of the people At a time when the major
of J&K besides seeking resto- leaders of the established
ration of the statehood. parties remain in jail, people
The Apni Party leader is view activity of the politi-
trying to tap into the anxiety cians like Bukhari and his
among a majority of the cohort with suspicion. The
people in J&K about the attention they are getting
vulnerability of the union springs largely from the
territory to a demographic absence of the recognized
change following the revo- parties and also from their
cation of Article 370. And promise to ensure demog-
this is why the Centre’s re- raphy and domicile rights
cent noises on these issues of the people of J&K are
are likely to strike a chord in secured.
Kashmir Valley.
But until these promises letters@tehelka.com

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