SRINAGAR — The withdrawal of support from the PDP-led coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir by the BJP was part of the great game plan aimed at the removal of special status, reveals the recently released Bollywood movie titled Article 370.
The movie that hit the theatres across the country on February 23 this year is directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale and produced by Uri fame Aditya Dhar.
The film showcases the perturbed Kashmir situation post the killing of militancy poster boy Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016, revealing how meticulously the Central government planned the abrogation of Article 370 while addressing all the legal hurdles involved in the entire process.
The film, though via the changed names of the main characters, shows PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti as Parveena Andrabi and NC patriarch Dr Farooq Abdullah as Abdali.
One of the main plots of the movie reveals how under the compulsive circumstances the BJP-led Central government had to join hands with the Peoples Democratic Party and why in June 2018, the BJP had to withdraw support from the coalition government.
The movie depicts that the withdrawal of the support from the PDP was part of the greater game plan to remove the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and pave the way for the imposition of Governor’s rule.
According to the news agency KNO, the movie also highlights how the Central government meticulously addressed the legal loopholes involved in the process and ensured that the mission was kept absolute secret.
It also showcases Prime Minister Modi giving slip to the press and going to meet the President in a lone white car with no security and no bulletproof vehicles to get the order pertaining to the removal of Article 370 signed.
Pertinently, on August 5, 2019, the President of India utilized the authority vested in Article 370 to issue an order that superseded the existing 1954 Presidential Order, effectively nullifying the autonomy provisions granted to the state.
Simultaneously, the Home Minister presented a Reorganisation Bill in the Indian Parliament, proposing the division of the state into two union territories. These territories would be administered by a Lieutenant Governor and governed by a unicameral legislature.
The resolution aimed at revoking the temporary special status under Article 370 and the bill for the state’s reorganisation were deliberated upon and approved by the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament, on 5 August 2019. The following day, on 6 August, the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament, discussed and endorsed the reorganisation bill and the resolution recommending the revocation.
