Reason Behind Opposition Parties's Support To The Modi's Kashmir Gambit

Electoral compulsions push opposition parties to support the Centre on Kashmir

- Preetha Nair

A curious disjunction prevails between how different domains of the polity are oriented to the Article 370 controversy. It has been more than a week since the Modi government moved to nullify a part of the Constitution, end­ing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and splitting the state into two Union territories. Always a contro­versial part of the statute, its negation too came in a set of dramatic moves on which consensus is elusive. An inevita­ble legal challenge looms, not to speak of consent on the ground—and sections of the Opposition are ranged in dissent too. But one striking aspect missed no one: the way many regional and smal­ler parties backed the government move, enabling its smooth sailing through Parliament.

The Congress too is divided on the issue, with some leaders preferring to not rem­ain isolated on what’s being painted as another ‘nationalist’ issue—a heads­I­ win­tails­you­lose gambit from the BJP. But away from the spotlight, the reverber­ations are being felt in other parties too— the main regional parties too are also battling dissent, with their decision to support the government leaving many mystified. Parties that extended support include Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP (signalling a clear shift in his position), Mayawati’s BSP, Naveen Patnaik’s BJD, the TRS in Telangana and both the TDP and YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh. Observers find it ironic that these parties, which thrive on the idea of competitive federalism and regional aspirations, rooted for the rem­ oval of Article 370, a classic federal piece of the Constitution.