The coming together of J&K’s six main political parties on the restoration of Article 370 and 35(A) is reshaping the polity of the Union Territory (UT), over a year after the special status of J&K was ended. The BJP, however, reiterated that the August 5, 2019 decisions “can’t be reversed”.
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“Restoration of Article 370 and 35 (A) is next to impossible. These Articles only resulted in a wall of hatred and poor growth and development of J&K,” said J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina.
Party spokesperson Darakshan Andari described the new grouping as “a conglomerate of mafia who are trying to re-open their closed business”.
J&K’s six political parties — the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Congress, the J&K Peoples Conference (PC), the CPI(M) and the Awani National Conference (ANC) — on Saturday decided to fight jointly for the restoration of Article 370 and 35 (A) under the Gupkar Declaration, a document signed by these parties on August 4, 2019.
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Two more regional parties, the J&K Peoples Movement (J&KPM) and the Peoples Democratic Front (PDF), supported it.
“Whosoever will work for bringing Article 370 and 35(A) back will get my support unconditionally. I have been called up by a few signatories to join the collective fight. I will soon come up with the final decision,” PDF chairman Hakeem Mohammad Yasin said.
‘A good step’
PDP patron Muzaffar Hussain Beg termed the declaration “a good step”. “I feel glad to see the political parties assembling on a single platform for the larger benefit of people of J&K.”
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CPI(M) leader M.Y Tarigami said he expected more people from all the regions and the communities “to join this process so that the dignity of J&K is restored”.
Senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P. Chidambaram has appreciated the mainstream parties for joining hands.
“Salute the unity and courage of the six mainstream Opposition parties who came together yesterday [Saturday] to fight the repeal of Article 370. I appeal to them to stand resolutely behind their demand. Ignore the uninformed criticism of self-styled nationalists who do not read history but try to rewrite history,” he tweeted.
