BJP Future - 6

[acharya]

Rajnath Singh: BJP will do away with Article 370

Luv Puri

It gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir

“We will bring J&K on a par with other States”

Many State leaders say the abrogation will make the Instrument of Accession to India void

JAMMU: The Bharatiya Janata Party will do away with Article 370 of the Indian Constitution — which gives special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir — if the party comes with a two-thirds majority in the Parliamentary elections, BJP president Rajnath Singh has affirmed, thus clearly indicating that abrogation of the Article 370 is going to be one of the prime issues the party proposes to raise in the coming Parliamentary election campaign.

“Abrogation of Article 370 has been a prime issue for the BJP for quite some time and the party is committed to it. The party is still committed to it. And if the party gets two-thirds majority in the Parliamentary elections, the party will amend this article and bring the State of Jammu and Kashmir at par with the other States of the country,” said Mr.Rajnath Singh who was flanked by BJP leader and former Law Minister Arun Jaitley at a news conference.

The State, by virtue of the Article 370, has its own constitution and any law passed by the Indian Parliament can only be extended to the State if it is ratified by the J&K Legislative Assembly. The abrogation of Article 370 has been opposed by the Congress, the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party. Many J&K leaders have stated that if Article 370 is abrogated, it also makes the Instrument of Accession of the State to India — which was signed between then Governor General of India Mountbatten and last Monarch of the State Maharaja Hari Singh — a void document.