Jammu, Aug 5 (IANS) As the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir marked the sixth anniversary of Article 370 abrogation, the Gorkha community celebrated the defining moment with great fanfare on Tuesday. Many members of the Gorkha community took to the streets and engaged in drumbeating to celebrate the watershed moment in J&K’s history.
It was six years ago, on August 5, 2019, that the Parliament revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories (UTs) – J&K with a legislature and Ladakh without a legislature.
An atmosphere of festivity was visible among the Gorkha community as they described the revocation of special status as the beginning of peace and prosperity in the region, ending decades of discrimination and deprivation. They also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the bold decision six years ago.
Karuna Chhetri, President of Jammu and Kashmir Gorkha Sabha, said that they remained deprived of basic rights for decades, when Articles 370 and 35A were in force.
“Our children neither got equal opportunities in education nor were they given a share in government jobs. But since the revocation of Article 370, our children are being treated at par with locals and natives of Kashmir. We are celebrating this with full enthusiasm and gaiety,” he said.
On behalf of the Gorkha community, he thanked the Prime Minister for removing Article 370 and said that this marked an end to decades of injustice against them.
“We have been living here for 200 years. But we did not have equal rights earlier. The previous dispensations never paid attention to our problems. By removing Article 370, PM Modi allowed us to redeem our rights. We are grateful to him because he has fulfilled the promise he made to us.”
He also took strong exception to Congress’s efforts and demands for the restoration of statehood status by doing away with Article 370.
“If the Congress party tries to bring back Article 370, we will risk our lives but will not return to that dark age again,” he said.
Manish Adhikari, another community member, said that today marks a special day for them in many ways.
“We remained deprived of our rights for a long time. Ever since Article 370 and 35A were removed, we have joined the mainstream of development,” he said.
He further said that the Gorkha community has been living in the valley for 200 years, but has remained voiceless and ignored by the political class. As things have changed now, they are also getting representation in the framing of government policies.
–IANS
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