This blog started out by saying that the Indian central government nullified Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution which had given the Jammu and Kashmir state a large degree of autonomy. This order divided the State into two Union territories with a lot less autonomy. This division had three goals in mind: to fight Pakistan-inspired terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir, to integrate Jammu and Kashmir with India fully, and to facilitate economic development. Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa approved the steps taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India. The blog then talked about the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential election in December 2019 and the importance of the elected person needing to strengthen national security. Rajapaksa spoke in parliament and said he was opposed to dividing Sri Lanka into nine semi-independent states. He also spoke of the ’13 Plus’ system of government that would go beyond the provisions of the 13th amendment. The draft constitution talked about by Rajapaksa was prepared by the Tamil National Alliance. Once presented to the government, the Prime Minister denied ownership of the document. Now, with Gotobaya likely to win the upcoming presidential election, the chances of the Tamils getting power is slim.

This move by Narendra Modi is a positive and possibly very beneficial move for India. It can create new jobs, fight corruption, boost economic development, and fight religious discrimination. Although India sees this as a beneficial move, a lot of outside countries do not agree with it. It is obviously not beneficial to Sri Lanka as the division was already mentioned. The Sri Lankan government has failed to make progress on post-war challenges. India’s progress has increased the insecurity of Tamils. India and Sri Lanka will now have more tensions arising because of this move by India.

HR: blog

India’s Kashmir Action: Severe Implications for Sri Lankan Tamils