Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi firmly defended his government’s controversial 2019 decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its partial autonomy, just days after newly elected lawmakers in the region called for its restoration.
Speaking at an election rally in Maharashtra, Modi stated, “Only the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar will operate in Kashmir… No power in the world can restore Article 370 in Kashmir,” referring to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a key architect of India’s constitution.
In 2019, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked the region’s partial autonomy and bifurcated the state into two federally administered territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. This decision was met with widespread opposition from various political factions within the region.
Following the first local election in a decade in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in September and October, newly elected legislators passed a resolution calling for the restoration of the special status. The region’s ruling National Conference party had promised in its manifesto to reinstate the autonomy, although such a move is in the hands of Modi’s federal government.
Under the current system, IIOJK’s lawmakers are allowed to legislate on local matters, but they cannot make decisions on public order, policing, or any policy with financial implications without approval from the centrally appointed administrator.
Kashmir, which has its own constitution under the former partial autonomy system, was allowed to make laws on most matters, except for defense, foreign affairs, and communications. The region has been at the heart of a long-standing territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, both of whom claim the entire region. The two nations have fought wars over Kashmir since their independence in 1947.
