Asserting that Article 35A and 370 of the Indian Constitution have “only affected the state adversely”, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state spokesperson Ajay Churungoo on Monday said time has come to abolish the articles so that Jammu and Kashmir also “witnesses development like other Indian states”.
Addressing media persons here, Churungoo said that both Article 35A and 370 “encourage gender bias and also violate the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Indian Constitution”. “In the last 70 years, Article 35A and 370 have only harmed J&K in one or the other way. Now, time has come that both the articles are abolished,” he said.
He also took a jibe at Kashmir-based mainstream leaders, who according to him, believe that the Article 35A and 370 have not pushed the state to wall.
“Those who believe that in the last 70 years, Article 35A and 370 have not harmed India and J&K in particular, I believe, have a feudal mindset. I suggest such leaders to leave Kashmir because Kashmir Valley is not the personal property of any leader. It belongs to entire India,” Churungoo said.He said that several towns of Kashmir, like Srinagar, Parihaspur and Awantipur have remained the capital cities of India like Ujjain, Patliputra and Delhi “and this is enough to validate our stand on Kashmir that it belongs to India only”.
Churungoo also hit out at some mainstream Kashmiri leaders who, according to him, believe that separatism should also be accommodated.
“Like all Indians I believe that separatism has no space in a democratic set up, but to gain power, most of the mainstream Kashmiri leaders from NC, PDP and even Congress, are camouflaging the separatism and secessionism. The government of India should take a strong note of this and deal with such leaders as per law,” Churungoo added.