BJP State Spokesperson Prof. Virender Gupta blamed National Conference Provisional President, Devendra Singh Rana for misleading the people about the Permanent Residential Law of J&K State. He said that Maharaja Hari Singh was a sovereign ruler of Jammu and Kashmir state and J&K was like an independent country. However, after the accession of the state with India, it ceases to enjoy the same status. It became one of the constituents of India. The residents of the state became the citizens of the country. The Jammu and Kashmir state under Article-370 had its own constituent assembly and it made its own constitution. The laws, rules and regulation existing during Maharaja rule were all changed and a new polity and administrative structure came into being.
Therefore, quoting Maharaja Hari Singh for Permanent Resident laws is immature on his part, particularly when the present Permanent Resident law excludes the Class-III of the permanent resident law that existed before 1947.
Prof. Virender Gupta said that states enjoying provisions of Article-371 do not have separate constitution and do not have the permanent state subject rule as the J&K states has.
He said that because of Article 370 the growth and development of the state has hampered and it has only benefitted the ruling elite of the Kashmir valley. The common masses, particular of Jammu region have become the victim of the secessionist and parochial designs of the ruling elite. The Article 370 has kept the state unstable and people in general are subjected to great hardships, as their problems are not being addressed because of the prevailing uncertain political situation. He said that State Subject Laws and Article 370 instead of becoming steel frame to Dogra interests as claimed by Rana have cases them in a steel frame He added that Article 370 has given an opportunity to Pakistan and to its agents in keeping Jammu and Kashmir issue alive and make the borders vulnerable to the disturbances.
