Economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, on Monday 19 August, criticised the central government over Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the government only emphasises majority rule "as opposed to it sustaining the rights of all human beings".
In an interview with NDTV, Sen said that he thinks there can’t be a resolution in Kashmir without democracy. He told the news channel that as an Indian, he isn’t proud of the fact that India, after having done so much to achieve democracy, is losing “that reputation on the grounds of the action that has been taken.”
On the discussion about buying property in J&K, Sen told NDTV that it should have been “something for the people of the state (Jammu and Kashmir) to decide.”
“This is something in which Kashmiris have a legitimate point of view because it is their land.”Amartya Sen, Economist
Sen also criticised the government's decision to keep leaders of the Valley under arrest. He said that justice and fairness can’t be achieved without “hearing the voices of the leaders of the people.” He said that the detention of political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir is indicative of “stifling the channel of democracy that makes it a success.”
When asked that the government has described its decision to place J&K under a blanket as a preventive measure, he called the reasoning as a “classic colonial excuse.”
(with inputs from NDTV)
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