Congress: BJP paying for abrogating Article 370

Tribune News Service

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Srinagar, December 23

As the BJP loses elections in Jharkhand, the Congress on Monday said the right-wing party was paying for unilaterally abrogating Article 370, which provided special status to the erstwhile state of J&K.

J&K Congress chief GA Mir said the result of the Jharkhand state Assembly elections “was a reflection of the undemocratic decisions” taken by PM Narendra Modi-led BJP government since it returned to power at Centre for the second time in May 2019.

Mir said: “The BJP was facing the latest test after it brought various laws through unilateral and unconstitutional ways. Jharkhand is not an ordinary state. It is heart of the country and if it has rejected the BJP’s policies, it means the whole of India is not accepting policies of the right-wing party.”

He said the biggest game plan of the BJP post abrogation of Article 370 was in Haryana and Maharashtra. “In Haryana, they (BJP) could not win with a majority and in Maharashtra, despite winning elections, their alliance partner (Shiv Sena) didn’t agree to their policies and left,” he said.

Mir said the Congress made amendments to Article 370 from time to time but by treading a constitutional path and consulting local leaders and stakeholders. “What the BJP has done is un-parliamentary and unconstitutional. If time for abrogation of Article 370 had come, the BJP should have taken local people on board. Unfortunately, the BJP jailed local people and leaders and took all decisions unilaterally,” Mir said. He said the decisions of abrogation of Article 370 and demotion of J&K from a state to Union Territory were undemocratic, which people across the country had started realising.

Says people rejected BJP’s communal agenda

Jammu: A number of Congress leaders and workers celebrated at the Congress headquarters here, as the results of the Assembly elections were declared. Jubilant Congress workers distributed sweets and burst crackers to celebrate the result. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said the people of the country had been realising the “falsehood and diversionary tactics” of the BJP. As a result, the BJP had been losing state after state where the elections were being held after the Lok Sabha poll. “The failure of the BJP to fulfill the promises and its attempts to divert the attention of the people from real issues have failed to hoodwink the people any longer,” Sharma said. Meanwhile, JKPCC vice-president GM Saroori expressed gratitude to the people of Jharkhand for strengthening the secular powers in the state for their vote against the BJP and claimed that the people had rejected the “communal agenda” of the BJP coalition. Saroori termed it as the “victory of secular and unifying forces”, as the ruling BJP was committed to implement the communal agenda in the country to meet their dirty political ends. — TNS

Victory rally held in Udhampur

Udhampur: The District Congress Committee organised a victory rally on the winning of Jharkhand elections here. The rally was taken out under the leadership of district president Krishan Chander Bhagat, where Dwaraka Prashar, senior Congress leader, also participated. A large number of Congress workers gathered at the district headquarters and took out the victory rally.