Tharoor is breaking with a long Indian tradition- a tradition established by his own party- of not internationalizing the Kashmir issue and not undermining India's diplomatic position in order to score political points. Does this mean that Congress has given up on its claim to be a National party? Will it henceforth be an anti-National party hoping to pick up votes from border or disaffected areas of the country?

Perhaps this appears the only way for Congress to retain a presence in the Central Parliament. Or is it rather the case, that Tharoor is taking his cue from Rahul Gandhi? Only time will tell.



Turning to the body of this article, it is surprising that no mention is made of Pakistan's role in destabilizing Kashmir and continually sending in terrorist infiltrators. Tharoor pretends that the Valley is the victim of Delhi's aggression while Islamabad is as pure and innocent as a dove. He makes no mention of the sufferings of Hindu majority Jammu or Buddhist majority Ladakh at the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, dynastic Muslim power-elite within the state. He cares nothing for the plight of three generations of Valmiks and other Scheduled Caste people who have been working in Kashmir- doing the dirty jobs no one wants- but who don't qualify for Residency whereas plenty of people with palatial homes in New Delhi and London are recognized as Kashmiri Residents though they do not reside there.

Tharoor says the Indian Government is guilty of 'shameless legal legerdemain'. This is language we may expect from a Pakistani politician. An Indian politician may say 'Supreme Court must decide if this is constitutional'. That is perfectly acceptable. But that is not what Tharoor has said. The fact is the Supreme Court has said it won't examine this case as a matter of urgency. This means there is no prima facie 'legerdemain'. The relevant Case is Damnoo vs State of J&K where the Supreme Court clarified that Presidential Orders of the type we are concerned with are not a 'backdoor' method of achieving anything improper. In other words, what the Govt. has done is considered by the Indian Supreme Court, as a matter of settled law, to be wholly proper. Indeed many Presidential orders of a similar nature were passed under exactly the same circumstances by Tharoor's own party. I may also mention that the erstwhile 'Sadar-i-Riyasat' mentioned in Article 370 is still alive. He is a member of Tharoor's own party. Yet he approves the move.



If Tharoor is sincere in his belief that what has been done is improper then he should resign from his own party because it was that party which set the precedent and made the practice routine. Why does Tharoor impugn it only when it is done by some other party? The answer can only be that he has a political ax to grind. But he could grind that ax well enough in an Indian publication. Project Syndicate is international in its readership. Tharoor has breached a long standing tradition among responsible Parliamentarians belonging to truly National Parties not to wash India's dirty linen in international forums. His actions give comfort to the enemy. They are anti-national. How do his constituents benefit if Tharoor defames the country they live in and helps drive away tourism or foreign direct investment? It may be that political passion has fogged Tharoor's brain. He may have been carried away by his animus against the ruling party. But, his method of venting his spleen lends color that he and his Party are anti-National. Their interest in India arises out of what rents they can extract from it. They are prepared to blackguard the country if this gains them international publicity and- it may be- rewards of a more tangible nature. I hope this is not true, but consider it a shame that Tharoor should act in a manner which bears this construction.



Tharoor says it was wrong not to consult local parties. Yet, having himself been a Minister, he knows full well that this would have meant that violent separatists and infiltrators would have gained time to organize scenes of carnage on a horrific scale. Tharoor is either being disingenuous or else a callous streak.

Tharoor also knows that 'preventive detention' in this case is a boon to the party leaders who can express their dismay without being forced down an extreme path. The spirit of Indian democracy has always gone hand in hand with idiographic 'domain knowledge'. This can involve preventive detention so as to minimize avoidable carnage.

Tharoor may disbelieve the National Security files that were circulated to him when he held office. He may believe that the ISI or the Caliphate are 'fake news'. But surely he must be aware that Pakistan has ramped up cross-border infiltration and LOC violations because Trump needs Imran Khan's to get American soldiers out of Afghanistan and Kashmir is the quid pro quo Khan is seeking.



Tharoor feels it is not his job to defend the actions of his country or to protest against those seeking to destabilize it and violate its territorial integrity. What is his job? It seems it is to show India in the worst possible light. It has a highly popular Government which has taken a highly popular step which it promised to do long ago. Tharoor is saying the people of India are now beyond the pale. The thrust of his argument is that it is now a pariah nation. Is this what his constituents want? Do they share his sentiments? Would they prefer to secede from India- as some in Kashmir do? If so, Tharoor may yet hold high Ministerial office- but only in a separatist state. The anti-nationalism he has displayed in this intemperate article may come back to haunt him. On the other hand, he may have had enough of India and may wish to return to his old haunts. Perhaps the Pakistanis can find a suitable position for him. It appears he can make their case for them more eloquently than they can themselves.