The Congress on Tuesday said if voted to power it will review the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Jammu and Kashmir, and made it clear that nothing will be done to change the constitutional position on the state, a clear reference to Article 370 which the BJP has been long promising to scrap.
Releasing its manifesto for Lok Sabha polls with a dedicated section on J-K, the Congress articulated positions on key issues of the AFSPA, Article 370 and dialogue with stakeholders in Kashmir very divergent from the BJP, which accused the opposition party of making "dangerous promises" and compromising on national security.
Alleging that the BJP government had spread hate and divisiveness in its five year rule, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said,"their (the BJP) record in J-K is in front of you. Terror casualties are mounting...There will be a major focus on national and internal security". He also promised that his party will work towards uniting India by bringing people together.
In significant proposals, the Congress promised to review the deployment of armed forces, move more troops to the border to stop infiltration completely, reduce the presence of the Army and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the Valley, and entrust more responsibility to the J&K police for maintaining law and order.
"The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and the Disturbed Areas Act in J&K will be reviewed," the party said, adding that suitable changes will be made in the text of the laws to balance the requirements of security and the protection of human rights.
The BJP hit out at the Congress on the proposed amendments in the AFSPA, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying it compromised national security.
The Congress earlier wanted martyr status for jawans, now they want cases against them, the Union minister said, and alleged that "those who laid their lives for the nation, the Congress wants them to be prosecuted at the behest of relatives of terrorists."