National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, sparked a controversy after he made comments about Jammu and Kashmir having a separate Prime Minister and President. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi twisted it around to target its allies and demanded for an explanation at a rally on Monday.
The Congress who is contesting Lok Sabha polls for the seven seats of Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the National Conference.
Without naming National Conference leader Mr. Abdullah, the Prime Minister said, “He says we will take the clock back and replicate the situation before 1953 and there will be two Prime Ministers in India, Kashmir will have its separate PM.”
Most grateful to Hon PM Modi Sahib for taking my humble speech & giving it a nation platform. @JKNC_ has always stood for the original terms of accession & will continue to fight for those. For the record we don’t need other parties to endorse our position. https://t.co/bouXajBXy4
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 1, 2019
The Congress “must answer how its ally can say such a thing,” the Prime Minister said at a rally in Hyderabad.
During the day, at an election rally in south Kashmir’s Bandipore area, Omar Abdullah said those threatening to scrap Article 35A should know that Jammu and Kashmir would get back its posts of Prime Minister and “Sadr e Riyasat” (President).
Unlike other states, Jammu and Kashmir had negotiated its terms and conditions for annexation with Union of India. If Article 35 is tinkered with, India has to renegotiate the accession, Abdullah said.
The Constitution’s Article 35A gives special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP wants the article scrapped, all key political parties in Kashmir Valley have rallied to preserve the article. The hearing for the article is pending in the Supreme Court, it has been put off for now due to the general elections.
Union minister Arun Jaitley in his blogs, said Article 35A was “surreptitiously” included by a presidential notification in the Constitution in 1954. The article was neither part of the Constitution framed by the constituent assembly, nor was it incorporated as a constitutional amendment under Article 368 of the Constitution, which requires an approval by two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament, the minister said.
Source : Various