STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Chief Patron National Panthers Party (NPP) Prof Bhim Singh on Wednesday said that Article 370 is impeding democracy to flourish in Jammu and Kashmir.
While addressing a gathering of political activists and members of the civil society at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi this afternoon he regretted that the Parliament of India has shut the doors of democracy for the residents in J&K by sticking a stone wall in the name of Article 370 which was inserted in 1950, though temporarily.
He called on the civil society and the political parties to help resolve the J&K problem which is possible only with one flag, one constitution and fundamental rights for all from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
He expressed sympathy, love and admiration for the people of J&K particularly the majority community in the Valley of Kashmir who with their leadership had raised tri-colour in 1947 expressing solidarity with the India and rejecting the two-nation theory. He praised the leadership of Kashmir particularly Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Mirza Afzal Baig, Maulana Masoodi, Sohrawardy and other leaders who led the people against any division of the state and stood for India and tri-colour. “J&K has a separate flag and separate Constitution which are responsible for discrimination against the residents of J&K”, he asserted.
Prof. Bhim Singh said that the Parliament of India failed to realise the spirit of the leadership of J&K which stood for secular India and secular J&K. Reminding that Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and North-East were reorganised on the basis of cultural, linguistic and geographical entity, he regretted that the Parliament failed to understand the social and political aspirations of the people of the three regions in J&K. He said that State was organized in 1846 by Maharaja Gulab Singh under a different situation, circumstances and social and geographical compulsions. “When India became Republic in 1950 the leadership rightly created nearly 21 states whereas J&K was kept out of the Union of India by raising a constitutional wall known as Article 370 though temporary. ‘Temporary’ survived for nearly 67 years while the politicians from Jawaharlal Nehru to Atal Bihari Vajpayee failed to understand the volcanoes hidden under this temporary provision. The volcanoes have been smoldering for nearly three decades whereas the Parliament is lagging in curing the inflaming disease”, he maintained adding let Parliament and the civil society understand the grievous injury caused to the people of J&K by keeping it out of the scope of the Indian Constitution and Fundamental Rights which are enjoyed by every Indian except the citizens of India living in J&K.
