Onlykashmir.in News Desk
In a dramatic turn, Congress criticized the BJP on Friday (15 November) for keeping the issue of Article 370 alive. Accusing its arch-rival of politicizing the matter, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the issue had already been resolved in Parliament and questioned the need to bring it up repeatedly for political purposes.
Kharge said, “If the motion to abrogate Article 370 has been passed in Parliament, why are you raking up the issue again? If you feel strongly about this, go to Kashmir and say it there. Elections are over in Kashmir.”
Kharge’s remarks were in response to the BJP’s assertion that the Congress aims to reinstate Article 370. He vehemently denied the claim, emphasizing that the Congress party’s stance is clear and accusing the BJP of using the issue to divide people for electoral gains.
Reaction in Jammu and Kashmir
Kharge’s comments sparked controversy within the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, with NC MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi accusing him of misrepresenting the J&K Assembly’s resolution on the issue.
In a post on X, Mehdi said, “No INC president or JKPCC president has a right to misinterpret the resolution passed by the J&K Legislative Assembly in its last session.”
He added, “The purpose of that resolution is to express the people’s disapproval of all amendments and the unconstitutional abrogation of the guaranteed special status of J&K from 1953 to 2019.”
No INC president or JKPCC president has a right to misinterpret the resolution passed by the J&K Legislative Assembly in the last session. The purpose of that resolution is to express the people’s disapproval of all the amendments and unconstitutional abrogation of the guaranteed…
— Ruhullah Mehdi (@RuhullahMehdi) November 15, 2024
Mehdi further clarified that the resolution calls for the restoration of all guarantees in their original form as they were operational before 1953, including Article 370 and 35A. He warned, “Let alone JKPCC or any other entity, even if anyone within @JKNC_ tries to misinterpret the resolution against the wishes of the people, they will be rejected and pushed to irrelevance, just as BJP allies were in the last election.”
The Resolution
On November 7, 2014, the J&K Assembly passed a resolution introduced by the National Conference (NC), calling on the Union Government to initiate discussions on restoring the former state’s special status. This status was revoked in 2019 with the abrogation of Article 370.
While the resolution reaffirms the importance of J&K’s distinct identity, culture, and rights, it does not explicitly mention Article 370. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary introduced the resolution amidst protests from the BJP’s 28-member bloc.
The resolution reads: “This assembly calls upon the Government of India to initiate dialogue with elected representatives of the people of J&K for the restoration of special status, constitutional guarantees, and to work out constitutional mechanisms for restoring these provisions.”
