Chhattisgarh CM questions Cong's silence over J&K resolution to revive Article 370

Raipur, Nov 8 (IANS) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday attacked the Congress for its “nefarious designs” of bringing back the dark era of terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir and questioned the party’s silence over an Assembly resolution to revive Article 370 and 35A of Constitution.

“By supporting the National Conference's proposal to reintroduce Article 370 and 35A in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Congress has once again started the conspiracy to divide the country,” said Sai.

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister said that whatever happened in the J&K Assembly was done to please Pakistan and anti-national people and to mislead the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that when this proposal was being passed in the Assembly, the BJP members were opposing it while the Congress members were silently supporting it.

Those standing for the unity of the country, those standing in favour of development and peace in Jammu and Kashmir were marshalled out of the Assembly, he said.

The BJP leader said the resolution passed in the J&K Assembly had no legal validity because it was not above the Parliament or the Supreme Court.

“No Assembly can bring back Article 370 and 35A that have become history. The National Conference is misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, questioning the role of the Assembly Speaker who passed the resolution by voice vote without discussion.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the Congress-NC and the PDP want to bring terrorism back to Jammu and Kashmir.

This is the anti-national agenda of the Congress and the National Conference, he said, adding that National Conference leaders Sheikh Abdullah and Omar Abdullah have developed a habit of emotional blackmail.

Claiming that the Congress, National Conference and PDP were unhappy with progress in J&K, the Chhattisgarh CM said that the union territory has adopted the path of development after emerging from the dark shadow of Article 370 and 35A.

He said that after the removal of Article 370, incidents of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir have reduced by 70 per cent. Civilian deaths have also reduced by about 80 per cent.

There has been a 300 per cent increase in foreign tourists, the budget of Jammu and Kashmir has increased by 17 per cent, incidents of stone pelting have stopped completely and terrorist incidents have been limited to two to three districts, he said.

Three times more investment has been made in J&K in the last four years as compared to the investment that came into the UT from Independence till the removal of Article 370, he said.

Talking about the resolution passed in the J&K Assembly, the Chhattisgarh CM said Jammu and Kashmir Congress Legislature Party leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir had admitted that his party was supporting the people's anger against the withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and its division.

He said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Mir should clarify their position on the removal of Article 370.

Another Congress leader Saifuddin Soz had supported this proposal to reintroduce Article 370 and 35A by issuing a press release on the topic, he said.

--IANS

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