STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: Amid a debate over Article 35A of the Constitution that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, state Congress chief Gulam Ahmed Mir on Wednesday said that every Congressman is “promise-bound” to defend the various safeguards given to the state under the statute.
At the same time, he said it is “premature to say anything about the role of Congress on the issue” as the matter is subjudice. Mir said his party would reach out to the people of the state to educate them on pros and cons of Article 35A of the Constitution.
Mir, who was replying to a volley of questions on the debate over Article 370 and Article 35(A), avoided a direct answer about his party s stand.
“Each Congressmen is promise-bound to defend the safeguards given to Jammu and Kashmir by virtue of various laws and constitutional guarantees by the then leadership and will fight this battle (attempts to revoke) with the help of the people,” he said on the sidelines of a function here.
“… we agree that the Article 35 A or Article 370 was the outcome of the decision taken by the then leadership, whether from Jammu and Kashmir (including) Maharaja Hari Singh, or the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru given the situation in the region,” he said.
The state Congress chief said his party would reach out to the people to make them understand the pros and cons of the Article 35A and Article 370 which guarantee special status to the state.
