Favors AFSPA, wants abrogation of Article 370
Terming Jammu and Kashmir’s merger with India as “complete and irrevocable”, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said the 'erroneous'
vision of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the weak policies of successive Congress governments at the Centre were responsible for the problems in the State.The party also demanded abrogation of Article 370 and opposed revocation of Armed forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
“Kashmir issue is nothing but a part of unfinished agenda of Pakistan emanating from partition and a result of erroneous blunders of the Nehruvian vision. State’s merger with India is complete and irrevocable,” senior BJP leader and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters here.
He said India has had to pay for the erroneous vision of Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru’s government for the past 63 years.
Jaitley along with other central BJP leadership is in Jammu to hold party’s office bearers meet and to address a public gathering on Friday. BJP president Natin Gadkhari, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, national spokesman Ravi Shanker Prashad, senior leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh, Anant Kumar, Venkaiah Naidu, Vasundhara Raje, Hema Malini, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Smriti Irani and some Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states are also in city of temples on a two-day visit.
The BJP National president Natin Gadkhari chaired office bearers meeting and discussed the prevailing situation in the State. The meeting passed the resolution calling for abrogation of Article 370 and opposed dissolution of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
“The situation in Kashmir needs to be dispassionately analyzed. Article 370 has worked against the interests of the people of the State and has prevented investment. It has prevented job creation in the State. It has given hope to the separatists that the political and constitutional relationship of the State with India could be terminated. So it is our belief that Article 370 should be abrogated,” said Jaitley, who was flanked by BJP’s national spokesman Ravi Shanker Prashad and BJP’s state president Shamsher Singh Manhas.
Stating that violence was key strategy of separatists, he castigated UPA and State government for giving credence and legitimacy to the separatists by conceding to their demands. “…the latest strategy separatists have adopted is organizing mass protests and stone throwing so that violence could be created out of it. The masses in Kashmir are fed up with separatist’s agenda of violence and continued hartals and protest calls. Government of India should distinguish between the demands of common people and the separatists,” the senior BJP leader said.
He, however, said that BJP would have no objection if separatists want dialogue with GoI. “Let separatists say they want engagement, we will have no problem on that,” Jaitley responded to a query on the then Vajpayee government’s engagement with separatists in Kashmir.
Taking dig at Congress’s policy viz-a-viz Kashmir, he said the present UPA government has run completely out of ideas on Kashmir. “That is why on each visit to valley Prime Minister announces some adhoc initiatives. Earlier five working groups were constituted, which never met, but still one group supported demand of autonomy. Then the Home Minister announced Quiet dialogue, which never took place. Now, they have sent three interlocutors to J&K and they have started dialogue through the media,” he said, adding Kashmir was standing at historic cross-roads.
He demanded that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) should not be diluted. “The common people too should not be harassed,” he added.
“Most people of Kashmir want peace and progress. This can only be achieved by BJP’s approach of full constitutional integration of the state with union of India,” Jaitley said and criticized Omar Abdullah led coalition government for being “out of depth in dealing with the situation in Valley and that in the entire state.”
“…a feeling of discrimination is being felt in both Jammu and Ladakh regions, which must end. The only solution to end this discrimination is to fully integrate the State with the union of India and then go for decentralization of power and equitable distribution of resources between the three regions . There is also a growing need to set up constitutionally empowered provincial councils of the three regions,” the senior BJP leader said.
He said circumstances must be created for return of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs who have left the valley.
Asked whether Jammu and Kashmir was victim of bad governance, the BJP leader without mentioning name of any party said, “If there is inadequate or bad-governance, it helps those who form the government here.”
“Kashmir issue is nothing but a part of unfinished agenda of Pakistan emanating from partition and a result of erroneous blunders of the Nehruvian vision. State’s merger with India is complete and irrevocable,” senior BJP leader and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters here.
He said India has had to pay for the erroneous vision of Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru’s government for the past 63 years.
Jaitley along with other central BJP leadership is in Jammu to hold party’s office bearers meet and to address a public gathering on Friday. BJP president Natin Gadkhari, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, national spokesman Ravi Shanker Prashad, senior leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh, Anant Kumar, Venkaiah Naidu, Vasundhara Raje, Hema Malini, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Smriti Irani and some Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states are also in city of temples on a two-day visit.
The BJP National president Natin Gadkhari chaired office bearers meeting and discussed the prevailing situation in the State. The meeting passed the resolution calling for abrogation of Article 370 and opposed dissolution of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
“The situation in Kashmir needs to be dispassionately analyzed. Article 370 has worked against the interests of the people of the State and has prevented investment. It has prevented job creation in the State. It has given hope to the separatists that the political and constitutional relationship of the State with India could be terminated. So it is our belief that Article 370 should be abrogated,” said Jaitley, who was flanked by BJP’s national spokesman Ravi Shanker Prashad and BJP’s state president Shamsher Singh Manhas.
Stating that violence was key strategy of separatists, he castigated UPA and State government for giving credence and legitimacy to the separatists by conceding to their demands. “…the latest strategy separatists have adopted is organizing mass protests and stone throwing so that violence could be created out of it. The masses in Kashmir are fed up with separatist’s agenda of violence and continued hartals and protest calls. Government of India should distinguish between the demands of common people and the separatists,” the senior BJP leader said.
He, however, said that BJP would have no objection if separatists want dialogue with GoI. “Let separatists say they want engagement, we will have no problem on that,” Jaitley responded to a query on the then Vajpayee government’s engagement with separatists in Kashmir.
Taking dig at Congress’s policy viz-a-viz Kashmir, he said the present UPA government has run completely out of ideas on Kashmir. “That is why on each visit to valley Prime Minister announces some adhoc initiatives. Earlier five working groups were constituted, which never met, but still one group supported demand of autonomy. Then the Home Minister announced Quiet dialogue, which never took place. Now, they have sent three interlocutors to J&K and they have started dialogue through the media,” he said, adding Kashmir was standing at historic cross-roads.
He demanded that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) should not be diluted. “The common people too should not be harassed,” he added.
“Most people of Kashmir want peace and progress. This can only be achieved by BJP’s approach of full constitutional integration of the state with union of India,” Jaitley said and criticized Omar Abdullah led coalition government for being “out of depth in dealing with the situation in Valley and that in the entire state.”
“…a feeling of discrimination is being felt in both Jammu and Ladakh regions, which must end. The only solution to end this discrimination is to fully integrate the State with the union of India and then go for decentralization of power and equitable distribution of resources between the three regions . There is also a growing need to set up constitutionally empowered provincial councils of the three regions,” the senior BJP leader said.
He said circumstances must be created for return of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs who have left the valley.
Asked whether Jammu and Kashmir was victim of bad governance, the BJP leader without mentioning name of any party said, “If there is inadequate or bad-governance, it helps those who form the government here.”
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