The just imposition of governor’s rule in the state of Jammu & Kashmir has come with the immediate effect following the fall of PDP-BJP alliance.
A few days back, the Home Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the end of cease-fire operations in Jammu & Kashmir when senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was killed and army jawaan Aurangzeb was shot dead.
Adding to it, the subsequent break-up between the PDP-BJP alliance and resignation of chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, have shocked the nation all of a sudden.
Such a situation has occurred on the account of numerous factors, be it the happenstance of the incidents of wide terror between April 17 to May 17, or the political grudges between the duo.
The imposition of governor’s rule is something which is happening consecutively for the 8th time in the state in the previous four decades.
What is Governor’s Rule?
In India, the President’s rule is imposed under the article 365 of the Constitution of India, when the Central government takes over the direct control of the machinery of a state on account of the failure of the state government.
Similarly, by invoking section 92 of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir, failure of the government results in the imposition of governor’s rule.
After obtaining the consent of the President of India, the state governor of J&K N.N. Vohra has issued the proclamation.
Consequences of the Rule:
1. It will result in an extension of the tenure of the governor N.N. Vohra which was about to end later this month.
2. According to the state’s top police officer SP Vaid, it will be ‘much easier’ for the police to work under the ambit of governor’s rule as they would be able to intensify the anti-terror operations on a much wider stance.
3. This rule allows the exercise of gubernatorial (governor’s) rights, and the same has resulted in N.N. Vohra calling a meeting of all the civil, police and forest senior officers to gear up the administrative machinery of the state. The meeting shall be followed by a security review meeting in the afternoon at the Raj Bhavan.
Limitations of the Rule:
In India, article 365 has always been a focal point of wider debate since it grants the powers to the concerned person in a manner which sometimes, creates too much political pressure on the state.
Supreme Court has also limited this practice to much extent following the 1994 Bommai case.
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According to the AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, such a situation could also result in massive repression among the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
Current situations give a clear indication that the state is likely to be under governor’s rule for at least the next six months.
The electoral process for the Lok Sabha may unroll from March 2019 onwards and calculations show that the political parties would like to let this period run till December 2018 so that they could get enough time to save their base for the next year elections.
National Conference (the arch rival of PDP) has said that they have no mandate this time to form a government in J&K, just like they didn’t have one in 2015 as well.
The probability of governor’s rule lasting for the next six months increases in such circumstances.
Some people believe that the governor’s rule, if lasted for long, could result in its conversion to the President’s rule that could delay the assembly elections as well.
But such a thing would require the ratification by the Parliament, which in turn reduces the probability for the same.
Pakistan to take advantage:
Pakistan is in its own election mode as of now, its elections being scheduled for the third week of July.
But the UN reports confirm that Pakistan could definitely milk the situation of such collapse in Jammu and Kashmir and use the same to its own advantage. PDP-BJP alliance was a major setback for Pakistan after 2014 elections.
Now, on the account of various happenings in the Kashmir altogether, Pakistan has a shot in its arm to take the advantage of such a critical situation.
Conclusion:
The situation seems very sensitive in Jammu and Kashmir, and governor’s rule shall continue for long pertaining to the circumstances.
No political party would indulge in such a scenario considering the importance of the current pre-election year.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Times of India, The Hindu, NDTV +more
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