Senior Congress leader and former Union home minister P Chidambaram criticised the central government in New Delhi on Thursday over its decisions on Jammu and Kashmir, questioning whether a forceful brand of nationalism had ever brought an end to a conflict anywhere.

The Kashmir decision

The Centre had withdrawn the special status Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed under Article 370 of the Constitution and split the state into two union territories. Chidambaram took aim at these steps in a string of posts on Twitter.

“Has ‘muscular nationalism’ resolved any conflict anywhere in the world?” he asked in one of them.

Shah Faesal’s criticism

To press his point, the Congress leader pointed to the reaction of Shah Faesal, a former civil servant who had topped the Civil Services Examination before entering the IAS. According to Chidambaram, Faesal had described the government’s handling of Jammu and Kashmir as the biggest betrayal.

Chidambaram argued that if someone with Faesal’s background held that view, it was worth considering how the millions of ordinary residents of Jammu and Kashmir might feel about the decision.

His remarks were part of a wider opposition attack on the government’s move, which the Congress leader framed as a question of whether strong-arm nationalism could deliver peace.

See also: Indian National Congress and political leaders.

Originally published on 8 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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