April 03
NC chief Farooq Abdullah Tuesday said those saying articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution were supposed to be temporary are “wittingly or unwittingly affirming” that J-K’s accession to India too was “temporary”.
The former Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) chief minister asserted that people were unfazed by the threats of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) combine on scrapping the articles which provide special status to the state.
The National Conference (NC) chief also backed his son and party vice-president Omar Abdullah’s comments on Monday that the NC would seek restoration of terms of accession of the state, including the provision for ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ and prime minister posts.
The senior Abdullah said those who created a ruckus about assertions of his son were “unqualified and untaught” about historical facts.
“It was our party who after Maharaja Hari Singh executed accession with the Union of India, sought unimpeachable constitutional safe guards for our state under the Delhi agreement,” he said at a public gathering at Madar-e-Maharban stadium in Ganderbal district in central Kashmir.
“Our party has always sought restoration of the relation of our state with the Union of India on the original terms of accession, which only gave three subjects of communication, defense and foreign affairs to the union, rest the Maharaja gave everything to the people of the state,” Abdullah added.
The former Union minister said the people of Kashmir “will not be fazed or frightened by the threats of BJP-RSS”.
“We will continue to seek our rights that were infringed upon… Those who are saying article 370 and article 35A are temporary are wittingly or unwittingly affirming that the accession was also temporary,” he said.
Former Prime Minister P V Narsimha Rao in a televised address in Burkina Faso, in Africa, had approved of having ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ and prime minister for the state, claimed the NC president.
“He (Rao) has on record said that ‘as far as giving autonomy to the state of J-K is concerned, sky is the limit’. When he came back, I asked him that much of special status has been eroded since 1953, to which he answered that once in government, the forum of assembly should be used to undo the erosions,” Abdullah said.
He said after coming to power in 1996, the government got the autonomy resolution passed with a huge majority in the state legislature.
“Those who say that the resolution was cast out are wrong, the documents are still with the Union government and one day the Centre has to implement it. There is no other way peace can return to the state until autonomy of the state is restored,” he said.
The NC president said the forthcoming elections would decide whether the minorities, including Muslims, walk holding their heads high and chin up.
“Today our nation is facing immense hazard in the form of communal strife. We are at crossroads, now it is up to us to decide if India remains secular, progressive in its outlook where in all the communities thrive and draw their sustenance affably or a country which is tangled with the clutches of communal strife and bigotry,” he said.
“Now it is up to the people. The opportunity has come and we should not let it pass by us unutilized,” he added.
On one hand there is Gandhi’s India which is all inclusive and on other hand there are forces which believe that India belongs to the adherents of only one faith, he said further.
“World has seen such fascist forces trying their level best to harm the brotherhood and peace before as well in the form of Adolf Hitler. Today, we are facing modern day Hitlers and Gobbles. Like Gobbles they thrive on falsehood, lies and mendacious politics,” Abdullah said.
Flaying BJP president Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Abdullah said the Muslims of the country do not need certificates from BJP-RSS on their patriotism.
“We are not anti-national. We have given immense sacrifices for the unity of the nation. I have lost many of my party functionaries and workers to the frenzy of conflict. These people don’t see that, but when we raise voice for the restoration of our rights, we are being tainted as anti-national,” he said. PTI