On 5 August, the Narendra Modi government effectively abrogated Article 370 and divided the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. On being questioned during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha, the home minister Amit Shah had claimed that Article 370 was “anti-women and anti-Dalit.” Shah said, “What is the percentage of OBC there? OBCs are unable to get reservation there. Tribal and Dalit people are not given political reservation, which is why behen Mayawati’s party has supported this decision.” He also said that after Article 370 was removed, Kashmir would become an inalienable part of India.
According to RK Kalsotra, however, Shah lied in the Parliament. Kalsotra is a member of the All India Confederation of SC, ST, OBC (Jammu and Kashmir). He has been working for the rights of the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes communities since 1990. He noted that the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had a provision for reservation. “The government of Hindustan is targeting the people of Jammu and Kashmir by placing the gun on the shoulders of Dalit, Adivasi and OBC people,” he said.
Nawal Kishor Kumar, the editor of Forward Press Hindi, interviewed Kalsotra at the latter’s home in Jammu on the government’s decision on Article 370.
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