Article 370 Gone, Jammu and Kashmir Bifurcated: Victory for Some, Blunder for Others; But Do WhatsApp Warriors & Social Media Soldiers Know Facts to Pass Verdicts?

Days of rumour-mongering and guesswork on Jammu and Kashmir ended on Monday as Home Minister Amit Shah introduced a resolution to scrap Article 370 from the state and bifurcate the state into two union territories. Simultaneously, a President's order was released on the scrapping of Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. In no time, from WhatsApp groups to Facebook feeds and Twitter timelines, all of social media was full of chest-thumping messages from one group and severe criticism from another. Jammu and Kashmir Lose Privileges Under Article 370, Article 35A: What Does it Mean For Kashmiris and Other Indians?

In no time, people on the social media became experts on Article 370, Article 35A, on how a state should be bifurcated and on the Kashmiri Pandits exodus of 1990. The social media was flooded with messages by people trying to crack jokes on how they could now buy land in Kashmir. Verdicts were out in seconds that this was a great step or a disastrous step by the Narendra Modi government.

For the common netizens celebrating, it was all subjected towards being able to buy land in Kashmir. Little would they know that they also cannot buy land in Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and partially in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh if they don't belong to these states. Jammu & Kashmir Loses Special Status, But Other States Also Bar 'Non-Residents' From Buying Land or Property: Check Full List

Messages like "Congratulations, Article 370 gaya" and more were circulated by anyone and everyone just as an expert giving an opinion on whether this was good or bad. Netizens were quick to opine that the Modi government corrected a "monumental mistake" of India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. How and why Nehru brought Article 370 and what role did Hari Singh, the first Raja of Jammu and Kashmir, had to play in it was something no one discussed.

Then there were messages of how the government completely killed democracy and Constitution by not taking stakeholders into confidence before taking such a huge step of taking away statehood from Jammu and Kashmir. Many also argued that this would lead to bloodshed in Kashmir, again, like a well-read expert.

Among those who reacted were also Kashmir Pandits, who congratulated each other, celebrated, distributed sweets. For most of them, this looked more like their much-awaited revenge for 1990 and tweets from the likes of actor Anupam Kher clearly indicated so.

The people whose reactions were missing were the people in Jammu and Kashmir. Their Internet services remained suspended, Section 144 continued to be in place, the people of Kashmir remained under lockdown as the Government of India announced huge historic decisions on the state. Whether all of this should have been done under the garb of a "terror alert", cancelling the Amarnath Yatra and asking tourists to leave, is something that must be debated.

Watch: How Jammu and Kashmir Changes After Removal of Article 370

One may argue that some step on Kashmir was needed with the number of complexities only increasing by the day. But to decide already as to whether these moves are good or bad, is something that cannot just be passed as an instant verdict. Yes, only a government with such mandate could have managed to take a substantial step on Kashmir. In that context, the move to abrogate Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir should be lauded.

But is it right to pass verdicts about whether the decision will bring to Jammu and Kashmir, what has been long-awaited? This is where the real test begins for the Modi-Shah duo. With Article 370 now gone and Jammu and Kashmir becoming a Union Territory, the onus is now on the Central Government to bring the much-awaited peace and prosperity to the valley. After Monday's move, a number of Kashmiri Pandits have their hopes high to return to their homes in the valley. A huge responsibility lies with the Modi government to ensure that this is achieved smoothly. The biggest job now is to ensure the valley is clean of terror. Then comes the "vikas" that Shah promised during his speech in Rajya Sabha on Monday. Once all of this is achieved, the last step will be to fulfil the promise of giving Jammu and Kashmir its statehood back as has been promised by Amit Shah. It is a long road till then to actually decide whether what has been done with Jammu and Kashmir is good or not.

Till then, let's not label each other "patriots" or "anti-nationals" based on what they may think of Article 370 abrogation and Jammu and Kashmir's bifurcation. Having said that, it's also time to wait and watch what happens in Jammu and Kashmir next. If the government succeeds in what it says it wants to achieve for the crown of India, it would be a historic success. When we say 'Kashmir hamara hai', let's also remember 'Kashmiri bhi hamaare hain'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2019 01:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).