Jammu and Kashmir has not seen an elected government since 2018, after the BJP pulled out of the coalition government with the J&K Peoples Democratic Party. A year later, Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was revoked. Recently though, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that assembly elections would soon be held. For now, there is electoral buzz thanks to the Lok Sabha polls. Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP is contesting from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. She entered politics under the guidance of her father and PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and became the first female chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir after his passing in 2016. Her Lok Sabha campaign is centred on safeguarding Jammu and Kashmir's unique identity, resources, jobs and land. Excerpts from an interview:
Q/ The voter turnout is expected to rise this time. Do you think people will support you again?
A/ The parliamentary election is an opportunity for people to express their feelings about how suffocated they have felt since 2019, and to denounce what happened as wrong, unconstitutional and contrary to the promises made. The narrative from the BJP is that all is well because tourists come to Kashmir and take selfies. But in reality, people are suffering in silence and are heartbroken. I am confident they will come out and vote.
Q/ What is your response to BJP's claims that post Article 370 abrogation, the situation has improved, terrorism is ending and Jammu and Kashmir is progressing?
This story is from the May 05, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 05, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Angry, Young America
Campus protests against the Gaza war continue to linger as students demand a realignment of US ties with Israel
We need to engage more with communities
Designer Aratrik Dev Varman of the label Tilla has long been a lover of history. One could comfortably call him part-aesthete, part-archeologist, for his clothes dip into vintage styles of the Kutch, Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan, bringing alive antique styles and crafts. Tilla, the store and atelier, are situated on a tree-lined avenue in Ahmedabad.
The great luxury slowdown
A year or so ago, if anyone had told me that Tommy Hilfiger would have stolen the show at New York’s Met Gala, I would have laughed. But it seems the end of giant luxury labels is upon us even before we expected it. The American ready-to-wear designer Tommy Hilfiger seems to have created the maximum media buzz at the 2024 Met Gala, according to several data analytics firms.
RAP BRINGS RAPTURE
How indie artistes, especially hip-hoppers, are driving the phenomenal rise of Malayalam music
Employability issues are a narrative created by the corporate world
Prof Yogesh Singh is the 23rd vice chancellor of the century-old University of Delhi (DU). An engineer with a PhD in computer engineering, Singh has an impressive track record of teaching, innovation and research in the area of software engineering. He has more than 250 publications and his book, Software Testing, published by the Cambridge University Press, is well-received internationally. In an interview with THE WEEK, Singh talks about trends in higher education in India, the challenges faced by big universities, and how to make higher education more interesting. Asked about the perception that Indian graduates are “not employable”, he reacts strongly, and emphasises the difference between training and higher education. Edited excerpts:
SERVING WITH DISTINCTION
Conceived as a university like no other, Jawaharlal Nehru University became India's best. Here is how
Mandela Effect and Liar's Dividend
The complex tapestry of AI's impact on society
The other Sabyasachi
I am Sabyasachi Mukherjee, not to be confused with my namesake, the celebrated fashion couturier, declared the venerated director-general of Mumbai’s pride, George Wittet’s Indo-Saracenic jewel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum.
THE MANGO HUNTERS
'Naadan Maavukal' started out as a Facebook group, but what it does offline has helped conserve many indigenous varieties of mangoes
BJP LEADERS, TOO, HAVE HAD ENOUGH
Farmers’ protest has taken the centre stage in Haryana, which goes to the polls on May 25. Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is confident that the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, will regain its hold on the state. “People who voted for the BJP are disappointed today. It is clear that they want change,” he told THE WEEK.