Political News

Article 370 is only link of Kashmir with India, declares Omar Abdullah; MoS statement triggers political storm

May 28, 2014 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

New Delhi, India (May 28, 2015): Minister of state in the Indian Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh on Tuesday (May 27) triggered a controversy after he pitched for a debate on BJP’s stand demanding the repeal of Article 370 which guarantees special status for J&K.

Jitendra Singh, BJP MP from Udhampur in J&K, argued that the debate would help convince the “unconvinced” that the article had actually worked more to J&K’s disadvantage.

According to Times Of India (TOI) [t]he minister’s pitch came just after he took charge as MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office, and was in line with the stand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took while campaigning in J&K.

Justifying his advocacy for a debate on the article whose abrogation BJP has consistently demanded, Jitendra Singh reportedly said, “The psychological barrier regarding repeal of Article 370 must be broken”.

“A successful beginning has already been made… the large number of votes polled by BJP across Ladakh, Udhampur and Jammu, which cover a far wider area than the remaining three Valley constituencies, indicate the backing for the party’s position on J&K issues including abrogation of Article 370”, he claimed.

He further said, “We will initiate a discussion with all stakeholders on the merits of abrogation of Article 370. We had smaller consultations with the youth of J&K even before the elections. We seem to have made them realize that the state has been more at a disadvantage on account of Article 370, and been deprived of the enormous benefits enjoyed by other states of the Union.”

The MoS emphasized that the framers of Constitution, including first PM Jawaharlal Nehru who was the biggest advocate for the special provision, had viewed Article 370 as “temporary and transitory”.

Strong reactions from Kashmiri politicians:

The controversial statement sparked off an angry reaction from J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, who suggested that the state would not be a part of India without Article 370.

PDP too warned that fiddling with Article 370 could lead to anarchy in the state.

Abdullah took to Twitter to join issue with Singh. “So the MoS says process/discussions to revoke Article 370 have started… not sure who is talking… long after Modi government is a distant memory, either J&K won’t be part of India or Article 370 will still exist. Article 370 is the only constitutional link between J&K and rest of India… talk of revocation is not just ill-informed, it’s irresponsible,” he tweeted.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said irresponsible utterances on Article 370 should be stopped as they could have serious repercussions in J&K.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said, “Such talk of abolition of Article 370 will alienate people of Kashmir. This is a harmful step against the interests of the country.”

The government, however, did not appear to be upset with the MoS for sparking a debate a day after the inauguration of the Modi regime.

“This issue was raised during the campaign. The minister comes from Jammu & Kashmir… if he has said something, the government will take a structured view on it,” law and justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

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Related Topics: Kashmir Issue

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