Kashmir remains a deeply uncertain place, a possible factor in centre’s calculations to delay polls. There seems to be an apprehension that the existing calm might unravel, should the government pass into the hands of an elected government, no matter who gets to be the chief minister.
There are two solutions to the current crisis in the country: one, the establishment rules directly than behind a democratic facade. Another is that a true democracy is allowed to take root and a free and fair election is held at the appointed time. But as of now, the country seems working towards neither
In a sense, 2023 is shaping up to be a rerun of 2018, when the BJP lost all big state elections including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan but won a landslide in 2019. A similar history can repeat itself.
Authoritarianism affects all systems of governance and does follow a short or extended period of openness. Modern authoritarianism is indifferent in that it – has perfected the art of manipulating democratic systems to its advantage – it uses liberal democracy, the free press, elections, and the institutions to capture power but once in the saddle, it tends to subvert the same system
The situation has considerably transformed since, and almost in every sense: regionally in terms of the growing power disparity between India and Pakistan, and in J&K too, which has since been divested of its special status and downgraded into two federally controlled units, in other words, two union territories
To be sure, post-yatra Rahul seems to have developed some gravitas. And if this is his umpteenth relaunch – to borrow the BJP’s description of the Congress leader’s renewed periodic plunge into politics – then this is the most promising one so far. And if he fails yet again, it may well push him as well as the Congress party towards oblivion
Rahul Gandhi has shown some assertiveness about pursuing an inclusive political agenda, but a proper ideological narrative is far from taking shape
An enduring India-Pakistan peace remains key to unlocking the true potential of South Asia. And it will also benefit China. And to a lesser extent, it will be helpful to the US too. This makes the pursuit of India-Pakistan normalization an inviting prospect for both superpowers. More so, obviously for China
As of now, the Ukraine war is about the defeat of the other side, not about a resolution through accommodation of each other’s concerns and fears. So, it is likely to go on
Musharraf had made a dedicated effort to seek a lasting peace with India by finding what he then fondly called “out-of-box solution” to Kashmir. He sought to achieve this through unilateral flexibility – subsequently reciprocated by New Delhi – only to end up nowhere.
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