Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution of India on 5 August 2019 reignited profound debates concerning internal autonomy, political legitimacy and the interplay of historical forces underpinning Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional relationship with the Indian Union. The decision was met with resistance from Muslim-majority political formations and civil society within the region and drew criticism from neighbouring states such as Pakistan and China. However, public discourse often reduces the event to a contemporary political project associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. This obscures the deeper historical trajectory of anti-autonomy politics within Jammu and Kashmir. A critical examination of this trajectory necessitates an exploration of the origins, ideological foundations and political repertoire of the Praja Parishad Movement, which emerged in the early years following the princely state’s accession to India. Against the shadow of National Conference’s autonomy debates, the movement rose and set in motion the discourse of unionist and integrationist narrative, shaping New Delhi’s contours towards Jammu and Kashmir.
Ayub et al. (Thu,) studied this question.