PDP colluding with BJP to weaken Article 370, 35A: National Conference

Srinagar: The Opposition National Conference on Friday accused ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of colluding with BJP to "weaken" Article 370 and 35A.

"In this unholy pursuit, the PDP had volunteered to be a facilitator in order to weaken Article 370 and 35A," Provincial President, National Conference, Devender Singh Rana said while addressing workers in Nagrota Assembly constituency. He said the NC will not allow it to happen as it will mean trampling of the constitutional guarantee held out to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

Rana said any attempt to weaken Article 35A will be detrimental, not only to particular region or community, but the people of all faiths, regions and sub-regions of J&K. Article 35A of Constitution allows the state of Jammu and Kashmir to grant special privileges and rights to permanent residents.

In an apparent reference to Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh's recent rhetoric on the special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Rana accused BJP of manipulating and exploiting Article 370 as per its political exigencies and in a vein bid to cover up its credibility deficit.

"BJP justified putting Article 370 in the backburner while entering into alliance with equally opportunistic PDP and when the people of Jammu turned tables on it for breaking promises, it attempted to rake it up again in the mistaken belief of befooling people," Rana said.

The Provincial President decried myopic saffron politics, saying it lacked even basic knowledge about the Indian Constitution which has guaranteed special provisions to various states of the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, as per urges and aspirations of the people. He asked those raking up Article 370 just for whipping up passions and further alienating the people of Jammu and Kashmir from national mainstream to have indepth study of the Constitution of India and get updated how other parts of the country like Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Goa etc enjoyed special status as per various sub sections (A to G) of Article 371.

Rana lamented that Jammu and Kashmir was being singled out just to satiate the communal agenda of BJP. He said Jammu and Kashmir was undergoing through a nightmarish phase with development take rear seat and rhetoric guiding the political discourse of the anti-people coalition government.

"By diverting the attention of Jammuties from the real problem related to setting up of a separate and independent AIIMS, along with the one in Kashmir, BJP is unsuccessfully attempting to hoodwink the public opinion," he said, adding that the people were wise enough to see through the nefarious designs of PDP-BJP combine.