National Conference vice president and former J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Thursday alleged that Centre was “not allowing hearings on Article 370” in the Supreme Court “due to fears that the August 5 decision was unconstitutional”.
Omar made the remarks while talking to the media on the sidelines of a party convention in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
“The Centre doesn’t want a hearing on Article 370 because they are very much frightened as they know the August 5, 2019 decision was unconstitutional and unlawful,” he said.
Omar further said that “defending Article 370 abrogation for the centre is impossible”.
“If their (Government of India’s) case had some weight then it would have ended a long time back,” Omar said.
He further alleged that the BJP “would want to form the majority in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly and then pass a resolution there legalising the revocation of Article 370”.
“Though it is tough for them to gather seats in Kashmir, I am not sure about Jammu, so that is why BJP has come up with proxy parties in Jammu and Kashmir,” he alleged without mentioning any particular party.
Article 370, he said “was the identity of Jammu and Kashmir rather than just being about land what BJP made it look like. We had our flag and constitution”.
“Now people of Ladakh and Kargil are protecting their identity as they do not want to lose it. Similarly, if they can protect their identity we will also protect our identity,” Omar said.
He said the J&K Delimitation Commission while redrawing the boundaries of constituencies “should not make decisions political in taste or favourable to a particular party or any of their friends”.
“They should only have one agenda, which is to take decisions on the 2011 census. If they abide by it we will accept,” Omar said.
As for the NC’s party conventions going on across J&K, Omar said the meets were “to strengthen the National conference and aware the population of Jammu and Kashmir through our workers about our mission and the motive is neither election preparedness nor to decide any mandate”.
