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Article 370
The BJP's onslaught on the Congress over Article 370 of the Constitution is aimed at weakening the opposition party and winning the elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday. However, the veteran leader said they will not allow the Congress to be weakened and expressed hope that the INDIA bloc will emerge victorious in the Assembly polls in both the states. Talking to reporters after attending a private function here, Abdullah said he has no doubt about the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Asked about the statements of Congress leaders that there is no mention of restoration of Article 370 in a recently-passed resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Abdullah said they have their own purpose because their party is under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah "shouting repeatedly at them just to win the elections". "They (BJP) are think
Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Sat Sharma on Friday called on the National Conference to focus on the region's development and not persistently focus on the Article 370, which, he said, is a part of history. "The National Conference must shift its focus from the abrogation of Article 370 to more important issues of development and public welfare for Jammu and Kashmir and its people. They should forget Article 370," Sharma said addressing at party meeting in the evening. He also criticised the NC and other Kashmiri parties for using Article 370 as an "emotional tool" to mislead the people for political gains. Sharma said the controversial provision had, in fact, deprived several sections of society of their basic rights. "The clock cannot be turned back. Much water has flowed down the Jhelum, and no force on Earth can reverse it. Article 370 was abrogated constitutionally and legally. It's time for the NC to accept this reality," Sharma asserted. Since the abrogation, Sharma said,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that has always been the mentality of Congress' 'shahi parivar' that it was born to rule the country. That is the reason that after Independence, the Congress never allowed Dalits, backward classes and Adivasis to progress, Modi said, addressing a rally at Chimur in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district ahead of the November 20 state assembly elections. The Congress gets annoyed with (the topic of) reservations. In the 1980s, when Rajiv Gandhi led the party, it published an advertisement raising questions over the special rights enjoyed by Dalits, backward classes and Adivasis, Modi said. This old advertisement has been shared on social media, he said. It reflected that party's anti-reservation attitude, he added. The huge crowd here shows that the BJP-led Mahayuti will retain power in Maharashtra with a massive majority, the PM said. The BJP's Sankalp Patra poll manifesto will be a guarantee for Maharashtra's development, Modi said. On ..
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the Assembly has done its job after it passed a resolution seeking a dialogue between the Centre and elected representatives for the restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state. The resolution, which also expressed "concern" over the "unilateral removal" of the special status, was passed without any debate as the Speaker put it to voice vote amidst noisy scenes. "The assembly has done its job. I will only say this much," a beaming Abdullah told reporters outside the assembly complex. NC MLA and J-K's deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary moved the resolution for restoring the special status of J-K, which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019. "That this legislative assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses concern over their unilateral removal," the ..
Amidst uproar, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution asking the Centre to hold talks with elected representatives for restoration of the special status of the erstwhile state. As soon as the assembly proceedings began, J-K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary moved the resolution for restoring the special status of J-K, which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019. "That this legislative assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses concern over their unilateral removal, the resolution moved by Choudhary said. This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the resolution added. BJP members, including the Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, opposed the resolution, saying it was not part of the list
People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday said Jammu and Kashmir government's first reported resolution demanding restoration of statehood and not Article 370, was a "huge setback" and nothing less than the ratification of the Centre's 2019 decisions. Another political party, the People's Conference, has also questioned the secrecy over the resolution. The reactions came after a Jammu-based newspaper 'Daily Excelsior' carried a report that the cabinet had passed a resolution urging the Centre to restore J-K's statehood. The report also said that the chief minister will travel to Delhi to handover the draft of the resolution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, there was no official confirmation or denial of the report so far. "Omar Abdullah's first resolution on statehood is nothing less than ratification of the August 5, 2019 decision. No resolution on Article 370 and scaling down the demand to mere statehood is a huge setback, especially after seeking votes on the promise of
Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the first task before the new Jammu and Kashmir government should be to demand restoration of statehood and the INDIA bloc parties should support it. He said that in case the government does not agree, then they should approach the court as the central government had promised restoration of statehood before the Supreme Court. "After the election results in J-K and days before the new government will take office, the LG of J-K has taken powers to himself that mocks the verdict of the people," he said in a post on X. "The first task of the new government should be to demand the restoration of statehood to J-K, and all the I.N.D.I.A. parties should support the demand. "Failing a positive response, the new J-K government should not hesitate to approach the Supreme Court," Chidambaram said in his post. "Recall that the Supreme Court was persuaded to not rule on the constitutionality of the reduction in the status of J&K because the central .