Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 29: All India Congress Committee today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP of taking `U-turn’ on Article 370 and said that they should clear their party stand on the issue before the people of the State and the country.
Addressing press conference here this afternoon, AICC spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewalla said that Prime Minister and BJP has taken a `U-turn’ over its core ideological issue of Article 370. The BJP was harping on this issue for the last about 67 years and exploiting people of the country and the J&K State. Now, the party leaders have started saying to the people to forget this issue which is very amazing and astonishing.
“Prime Minister and BJP leadership should tell people of Jammu and Kashmir and the country its stand on Article 370. They should clarify their stand,” Mr Surjewala maintained.
The BJP got totally exposed on this issue before the people of the country. “For the last 67 years, BJP had been harping on abrogation of Article 370. Its top leaders former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, stalwart L K Advani and others have even put their stamp of approval on it from time to time,” he said.
“Even Union Minister in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh, soon after the formation of new Government, had reiterated that Article 370 will be scrapped. Later, a U-turn was witnessed in their stand and they called for holding dialogue on Article 370,” Surjewalla said, adding that they did not specify the time frame or the model of debate and its legal context.
Even Union Minister Rajnath Singh tried to put the issue in cold storage and BJP has observed silence over it, he alleged.
Surejewalla further said that Modi addressed three election rallies in J&K, but observed total silence on Article 370. We question Mr Modi about his stand on it and party should reply to the people of the country,” he said.
Alleging that BJP is “hobnobbing with separatists”, Surjiwala said, “People need answers. They should come out and tell the people their stand on it.”
He also sought a reply from the Modi Government on rejection of the package for the rehabilitation of PoK refugees sent by the State Government.
“They should tell the people how are they going to rehabilitate refugees,” he said.
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