STATE TIMES NEWS
BANIHAL: Criticising the statement of BJP’s National Spokesperson for articulating scrapping of Article 370, National Conference leader and District President Ramban, Mir Sajjad Shaheen has said that no force on earth has the power to revert J and K’s special status. He was addressing party delegates in Banihal which was attended by prominent party workers , Panchs ,Sarpanchs of the area.
Shaheen said Article 370 is non-negotiable, irrevocable and those talking of its abrogation are ignorant about the constitutional position of the State and are misleading people of the country. He said J and K’s accession with India will end automatically if BJP tampers with Article 370 as claimed by people like Sambit Patra who are playing to the gallerias. He said that the constitutional relationship of J and K State with rest of India is governed though temporarily,under Article 370 of Indian Constitution following conditional accord.
He further said BJP and PDP have entered into an alliance to scrap Article 370 but “Accession will end automatically if Article 370 is tempered with. Any attempt to fiddle with it will open old wounds which would be difficult to heal,” the leader said. He said Article 370 is a bridge between JK and India. “If the bridge falls, we too will fall apart from rest of the country,” he said.
He said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is “supporting and facilitating implementation of RSS agenda in the State to reciprocate the favour of its (PDP’s) creation by the BJP and are returning favours to their masters to remain in power.”
Shaheen further said adding, “Article 370 provides the mechanism for a constitutional relationship between the State and rest of the country and it cannot be abrogated without bringing into question the fundamentals of that relationship and “It is an article of faith which is non-negotiable and irrevocable” Shaheen said adding that by reviving issues of Article 370 and Ram Mandir the BJP could risk destabilisation in the society which a country of India’s diversity could never afford.
Shaheen said NC will resist any attempt aimed at dilution of the State’s special position guaranteed by the constitution and the party will stand like a rock to protect Art 370 at all costs.