Nehru had said Art 370 was temporary: V-P

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 14

Addressing a gathering at Panjab University here today, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu lashed out at western media’s “false, anti-India propaganda” on the abrogation of Article 370. 

“It is a step in the right direction. It ensures the unity and integrity of the nation,” he said, citing news reports in 1963 and 1964 to highlight several MPs belonging to various political parties, including the Congress, had favoured scrapping the special status accorded to J&K.

Quoting a November 1963 news report, Naidu said, “The then PM Jawaharlal Nehru, replying to a question on Article 370, had said it was a temporary provision.” He cited another report published in a leading daily in 1964 to establish that several MPs belonging to the Congress and other parties were in favour of abrogation of the Article.

“We should not accept anti-India propaganda... We should avoid petty politicking on issue of national importance,”  Naidu said, addressing the first Balramji Dass Tandon Memorial Lecture at the university. Tandon was Deputy CM of Punjab in 1969-70. He was appointed Governor of Chhattisgarh in July 2014. He died on August 14 last year.

Naidu pointed out that a French journalist had reported on the “negative coverage” that had followed the abrogation of Article 370, especially by the western media. He refrained from naming any newspaper or television channel. 

Three-nation tour

New Delhi: In keeping with the government’s policy of dealing with each country separately and on merit, V-P Venkaiah Naidu will visit three countries that do not enjoy good ties with Russia from August 17-21. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, once part of the Soviet Union, became independent in 1991. The visit to these countries comes at a time when Indian oil companies are in discussions with their Russian counterparts for involvement in the Vankor oil complex. TNS