Talks should go on with Centre over J&K status
The Congress is facing BJP fire on Article 370 during the poll campaign in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is engaging with the Centre after the J&K Assembly passed a resolution on restoration of J&K’s special status and constitutional guarantees.
Omar met President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman, and Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar while they all assured due support to J&K but refused to entrain repeal of Article 370 of the Contitution of India.
His key meetings took place immediately after the Assembly passed resolution on restoration of J&K’s special status and constitutional guarantees. The resolution was passed in J&K Assembly by voice vote amid protest by BJP members.
The resolution, which calls upon the Centre to initiate dialogue with elected representatives of people of J&K for restoration of special status, constitutional guarantee and to work out constitutional mechanisms for restoring these provisions, was backed by NC, six independents, Congress, PDP and Valley-based independent legislators. Only BJP opposed the resolution and protested against it in the House.
Earlier, after the J&K Cabinet passed resolution on restoration of statehood in its first meeting, Omar had travelled to New Delhi and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of Roads, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and other Union ministers. Omar had handed over copies of the cabinet resolution calling for restoration of statehood to the PM and other Union ministers.
A political observer said the BJP is hitting out at the Congress as the two parties are rivals while Omar Abdullah and NC are playing their cards well. The NC has passed resolutions on statehood and special status by avoiding reference to Article 370. It is also keeping New Delhi in loop. Abdullahs know where is the limit, and they will never cross that limit.
While the Congress is playing the dual game, it kept silent on Article 370 but backed NC, which in its poll manifesto pledged for restoration of Article 370. The Congress also supported the NC-backed resolution on restoration of J&K’s special status.
The BJP is exposing the Congress’s deceit politics as the grand old party fully knows that Article 370 can never be brought back.
For governance issue he is meeting central leaders. It is not for politics. Both NC and Congress fully know that even if J&K Assembly passes 100 resolutions, Article 370 cannot be brought back.
J&K Congress earlier demanded for restoring Article 370 was neither raised in the resolution passed by the Assembly nor mentioned elsewhere. Congress is acting in line with Supre Court's verdict on Article 370 is statehood. The BJP is ywisting its case and misrepresenting the facts for political gains.
