Political leaders reacted to Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement in the Rajya Sabha of Article 370, which conferred special status to Jammu & Kashmir, being revoked by a Presidential Order on Monday, 5 August.
A press conference was held by the Congress, with leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and P Chidambaram at its helm. They chastised the government’s decision as ‘catastrophic’ and as an attempt to garner votes.
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh condemned the move saying that revoking Article 370 and 35A sets a bad precedent.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his support for the BJP government’s decision.
However, Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti wrote, “Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy. Decision of J&K leadership to reject two nation theory in 1947 and align with India has backfired. Unilateral decision of GOI to scrap Article 370 is illegal & unconstitutional which will make India an occupational force in J&K.”
She added that the move will have “catastrophic consequences” for the subcontinent.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in a public statement, said the government’s decision is a “total betrayal of the trust that the people of J&K had reposed in India” and an “aggression against the people of the state”, according to ANI.
He added that the decisions are “unilateral, illegal and unconstitutional” and that his party, the National Conference, will challenge it.
Meanwhile, BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav praised the move, saying that it was a demand which had long remained unfulfilled.
He wrote, “What a glorious day. Finally the martyrdom of thousands starting with Dr Shyam Prasad Mukharjee for complete integration of J&K into Indian Union is being honoured and the seven-decade-old demand of the entire nation being realised in front of our eyes; in our lifetime. Ever imagined?”
BJP Leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley also lauded the decision.
Swaraj called it “a bold and historic decision” and Jaitley called it a “monumental decision towards national integration”.
“If you wanted to remove Article 370, you should have done only that. Why abolish statehood and make it a UT? World history has shown that any attempt to suppress people through force has always failed,” said SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury also condemned the move. “The people of India are being forewarned that such authoritarian attacks will take place on their democratic and Constitutional rights,” he tweeted.
Janata Dal (United) is another party which opposed the move. Here is what their leader had to say:
“Our Chief Nitish Kumar is carrying forward the tradition of JP Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and George Fernandes. So, our party is not supporting the Bill moved in the Rajya Sabha today. We have a different thinking. We want that Article 370 should not be revoked.”JD (U) Leader KC Tyagi
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