BJP again rakes up Article 370

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 26

In the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, the BJP today again raked up the contentious issue of Article 370 and asserted that its revocation was on the party’s top agenda.

As October 26 is observed as Accession Day throughout the state, the BJP seized the opportunity to give a message to its coalition partner — PDP — that despite sharing power in the state, the party was committed to its ideological issues like revocation of Article 370, abrogation of Article 35-A of the Constitution and liberation of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The BJP today organised a seminar, “Accession of J&K to India is full and final”, in which speakers from various areas were invited.

Although Deputy Chief Minister avoided taking up controversial issues, BJP spokesman Varinder Gupta minced no words and made it clear that the so-called special status being granted to J&K under Article 370 had encouraged separatist ideology in the Kashmir valley.

“We want to make it clear that abrogation of Article 370, revocation of Article 35-A and liberation of PoJK are the unfinished agendas of the party,” Gupta said, adding that granting Article 370 to J&K was a historical blunder and the BJP was duty-bound to rectify the mistake.

At the seminar, BJP national vice-president and in charge of the J&K affairs Avinash Rai Khanna took up the issue of West Pakistan refugees. He regretted that despite living in Jammu since 1947, the helpless people were being deprived of the basic human rights and the tag of refugee continued to haunt them.

The BJP had agreed to keep the demand of abrogation of Article 370 in the cold storage while formulating the Agenda of Alliance — the document to run the coalition regime. Now the party has again raked up the issue.

During the seminar, all panelists unanimously appealed to the government to declare October 26 a state holiday and also called upon the people to celebrate the day as a festival. The BJP leadership has, however, officially opposed the demand.

BJP chief spokesman Sunil Sethi, in his key note address, said the accession of J&K was legal, voluntary, constitutional and non-negotiable.