Centre must publicly commit to retaining Article 35A for Kashmir, says Sitaram Yechury

The Centre must publicly commit to retaining Article 35A of the Constitution, which gives special privilege to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, said CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on Monday.

In a series of tweets, Yechury said: "The Central government must make a public commitment that Article 35A will be retained intact in the Constitution. Any attempt to tamper with Article 35A will fundamentally damage the special status accorded to J & K under Article 370 of the Constitution."

The Article 35A is to be heard in the Supreme Court between February 26 and 28 after a bunch of petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of giving special privileges to the permanent residents.

The Article 35A of the Constitution disallows people from residing in Jammu and Kashmir, buying or owning immovable property in the state, settle permanently, or get the state government jobs.

Jammu and Kashmir government's standing counsel in the Supreme Court, Shoeb Alam, moved an adjournment letter before the apex court on February 11, citing the absence of elected government in the state and hence the hearing in the matter should be adjourned.

CPI-M also issued a statement on Monday, stating that "the people of Kashmir Valley and all shades of political opinion there are highly perturbed by the reports of the efforts to do away with the Article 35A of the Constitution.