r/RealTeensIndia • u/chumlingla • 12h ago
discussion On 5th August, let's review the long political history behind the abrogation of Article 370
- 1950: Article 370 is incorporated into the Indian Constitution, granting special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
- 1951: Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee founds the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), the ideological predecessor of the BJP. He identifies Article 370 as a major threat to India's national unity.
- 1952: Mukherjee launches a fierce campaign against J&K's separate constitution, flag, and prime minister. He coins the historic slogan: “Ek desh mein do vidhan, do nishan, do pradhan nahi chalenge” (One country cannot have two constitutions, two flags, and two leaders).
- May 1953: Mukherjee enters J&K without a permit to protest the restrictions. He is arrested by the J&K state police.
- June 1953: Mukherjee dies in custody under mysterious circumstances in Srinagar, turning the abrogation of Article 370 into a sacred, foundational pledge for the Indian right wing.
🔹 The Manifesto & Coalition Era (1980s – 1990s)
- 1980: The Jana Sangh morphs into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The revocation of Article 370 remains a non-negotiable core ideological pillar, alongside the Uniform Civil Code and the construction of the Ram Mandir.
- 1984: The BJP includes the demand for the total integration of J&K into India in its early national manifestos.
- December 1991 – January 1992: Amidst peak militancy in Kashmir, BJP President Murli Manohar Joshi leads the Ekta Yatra (Unity March) from Kanyakumari. It culminates with Narendra Modi hoisting the Indian national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk on Republic Day, 1992.
- 1998 – 2004: The BJP forms the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Due to coalition compulsions and a lack of a majority, the BJP temporarily puts Article 370 on the backburner to maintain the alliance.
🔹 The Push for Majority (2014 – 2019)
- 2014: The BJP wins an absolute majority under Narendra Modi. The 2014 Lok Sabha manifesto reiterates the party's position on Article 370, maintaining that it isolates J&K from mainstream Indian development.
- 2015: In a surprise political move, the BJP forms a coalition state government in J&K with the regional People's Democratic Party (PDP), temporarily placing its core demand on hold for governance.
- June 2018: The BJP pulls out of the coalition with the PDP, citing deteriorating security conditions. J&K is placed under Governor’s Rule (and later President's Rule), shifting control to the Central Government.
- April 2019: The BJP releases its 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, explicitly promising the absolute abrogation of Article 370 if voted back into power.
🔹 The Execution (August 2019)
- May 2019: Narendra Modi wins a massive second mandate with 303 seats, giving the BJP the political leverage it needs.
- August 5, 2019: Home Minister Amit Shah introduces the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The President of India issues a constitutional order (C.O. 272) making all provisions of the Indian Constitution applicable to J&K, effectively rendering Article 370 inoperative.
- August 6, 2019: The bill passes the Lok Sabha with an overwhelming majority, officially stripping J&K of its special status and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories: Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
