The National Conference did not just campaign for the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A; it weaponized these issues. It presented them as a non negotiable battle for Kashmiri dignity, using public emotion and anxiety to secure a powerful electoral mandate.
Today, that thunderous rhetoric has collapsed into a whimper. The goalposts have not just shifted; the original field has been completely abandoned.
By pivoting its entire political machinery towards demanding “Statehood,” a minimal administrative baseline already promised by New Delhi, the NC is executing a profound political bait and switch.
The party is now playing on a board entirely designed and controlled by the ruling Central Government.
Even its own ranks appear unable to defend this shift. When the NC’s own Members of Parliament publicly refuse to join these protests, accusing the leadership of “pursuing the BJP’s narrative” and “normalizing the status quo,” the façade begins to crumble. This is not external criticism; it is an internal verdict of ideological surrender.
Let us strip away the spin. The NC cashed in on the core identity of the people to secure power, only to trade it away for low stakes, state sanctioned compromises once it formed the government. If the NC has decided that Article 370 is a closed chapter, it should have the courage to admit it openly.
Credibility is not measured by the defiance you display when seeking votes. It is measured by the battles you abandon after winning power. Right now, the NC is not leading a struggle; it is managing a retreat.
