The State BJP spokesperson, Prof. Virender Gupta said that the statement of Mahbooba Mufti, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir State, in the State Assembly that those demanding abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A are anti-national, has created a great hype not in the political circles but among the common masses in the State as well throughout the country as it is being construed by opponents to disturb the harmonious relations between the alliance partners in the State Government.
The Spokesperson while putting forward the Bharatiya Janata Party’s view point stated the party right from the days of Praja Parishad and Jan Sangh, the abrogation of Article 370 is one of its prime agenda. There was a mass agitation led by Praja Parishad and supported by Jan Sangh in 1953 against Article 370 with the slogans demanding “Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan and Ek Nishan” for the State, thereby opposing the Special Status granted to the State for being a majority Muslim State. The Parishad and Jan Sangh considered this as endorsing the Two Nation Theory of Mr. Jinah; BJP still holds the same opinion. Dr. Shyama Prashad Mookherjee, the founder President of Jan Sangh, had sacrificed his life in a struggle aimed to remove the barriers in the way of complete integration of J&K State with Indian Union. Thousands of Parja Parishad workers were arrested and put into jails whereas about twenty were killed by Sheikh Government. Large number of student under the banner of N.S.A (National Students Association) had joined the movement, sat on indefinite hunger strike in the premises of Prince of Wales College (now named as GGM Science College) and suffered torture after being jailed.
Prof. Virender Gupta mentioned that Congress Party and other National leaders, who were members of the Constituent Assembly of India, including B.R. Ambedkar were against the incorporation of Article 370 in the Indian Constitution at the time of its introduction. He mentioned that Nation by an large is against the retention of Article 370 and added that Pt. Nehru, Guljari Lal Nanda and Indra Gandhi, opined in the Parliament that Article 70 would slowly and steadily vanish itself (Ye Giste Giste Gis Jaye Gee), in response to the demand of its removal from the Indian Constitution, that was made from time to time.
The Spokesperson said that Article 370 is responsible for creating the psyche among the Kashmiri masses that Jammu and Kashmir is not a settled issue and breed secessionism among them, which are being exploited by separatists, ISI and Pakistan by extending all type of support for waging a war against Indian Nation. He termed it as a paradox that the party and its followers, who are committed to nationalism, fighting separatist forces and want to end the uncertain conditions prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating Article 370 and putting their best efforts to bring its people in the national main stream are being abused as anti-national, whereas those who have always exploited the people of the State under the shelter of Article 370, appease the separatist forces for the vote bank politics, are being portraited as nationalists, forgetting the fact that majority of the state population, that includes people of Jammu region, Ladkah region and a good section of population of the Valley are in favour of abrogation of the Article. It also looks strange that to demand or attempt to remove Article 370, which was introduced as an temporary provision in the Indian Constitution, on the plea of special conditions prevailing at the time when State acceded to Indian Union, is considered as provoking the separatist elements to bent upon to disturb the peace of the State by participating in anti-national activities at the behest of outside agencies and country.
Prof. Virender Gupta emphasised that Article 370 is responsible for the most of the problems of the State and its people, it is better for the development of the State, for the peace and communal harmony to prevail, that it is abrogated.
