Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 27: Accusing the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah of trying to play to the gallery by raking up the issue of Article 370 during the inauguration ceremony of Pir Panjal Rail tunnel, BJP National Executive Member & J&K Chief Spokesperson Dr Jitendra Singh, said here today that what the CM obliquely hinted about the BJP in fact applies to the National Conference.
In a statement issued here today he said the CM is factually incorrect in saying that BJP takes up the issue of Article 370 only close to the elections. It is the other way round, he said and went on to remind that while BJP has consistently fought for abrogation of Article 370 for over last 60 years, the N C raises the bogey of so called “Autonomy” only close to elections or when it is out of power. BJP does not follow the policy of opportunism or appeasement as followed by the NC nor does it seek votes by resorting to “separatist” jargon, he added.
Dr Singh reminded the CM that close to 2008 elections it was his “Ek Inch Zameen Nahin Denge” remark in Parliament which had added fuel to the Amarnath agitation and now by making an unwarranted remark like “Article 370 over our dead bodies”, he is again trying to ignite communal passions. But the people of the state have now understood this trickestry and can no longer be fooled by such rhetoric, he added.
He also contested the CM’s contention that Article 370 is a permanent outcome of some sort of agreement between the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah and asked the CM to go back to history to understand that Article 370 was always meant to be a temporary arrangement to serve as an instrument for extending various provisions of Indian constitution to the State. That is why, in response to an intervention by Dr Shyama Prasad Mukerjee, Nehru had on record stated that Article 370 was destined to go one day and had used the following Hindi phrase “Yeh Ghiste Ghiste Ghis Jayegi…”he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh requested the CM to read the parliamentary proceedings of early 1960s when, from time to time, virtually every political party had endorsed the abrogation of Article 370.
Dr Jitendra Singh asked the CM to explain to the people of the State that if Sheikh Abdullah was so very sensitive about Special status, Autonomy etc, why did he not utter a single word while quietly accepting the chair of Chief Minister from Indira Gandhi in 1975.
Follow our WhatsApp channel