Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on Article 35A, political parties warned the government against interfering with the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir.
National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Monday, 25 February, said any fiddling with Jammu and Kashmir's special status would have serious and far-reaching consequences in the state.
Addressing party functionaries, workers and delegates at the NC headquarters, Abdullah warned that the situation in the state would become much worse than the one in Arunachal Pradesh if the rights under Article 35A and Article 370 of the Constitution were fiddled with.
"They threaten us every day with (Article) 35A. I want to tell the Centre that see the situation in Arunachal Pradesh, where there is no militancy, no stone-pelting. A peaceful state like Arunachal Pradesh is also up in flames. The people there have hit the roads in order to save their permanent resident status,” he said.
"That, I believe, should act as an eye-opener for those who are inimical to Article 370, Article 35A. Any misadventure in fiddling with the state's special status will unarguably have serious and far-reaching consequences in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation will be worse than what it is in Arunachal Pradesh," Abdullah added.
He added that it was his duty to warn New Delhi about the consequences of any tampering with the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I am not threatening, it is my duty to warn you, the rest is your will. As a responsible citizen, it is my duty to tell Delhi that your thinking is not right,” the NC leader said.
He added that the Centre and Governor SP Malik-led administration in the state should leave the defence of Article 370 and Article 35A to a new, popular government elected after the Assembly polls.
"Leave it to us. Whether the Centre or the governor's administration, their only responsibility now is to create a conducive atmosphere and conduct the (Assembly) election. After the polls, whatever the decision of the people of the state, it should be left to them to tackle (Article) 35A. We know the situation here better, so please do not get into this. Conduct the polls and the new government will work towards saving Article 35A itself," Abdullah said.
‘Don’t Play With Fire’: Mehbooba Mufti
PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti also issued a stern warning to the government against fiddling with article 35A.
“Don't play with fire, don't fiddle with Article-35A, else you will see what you haven't seen since 1947, if it's attacked then I don't know which flag people of J&K will be forced to pick up instead of the tricolour,” Mufti said, as quoted by ANI.
Mufti on Sunday had said any tinkering with Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution will render null and void the state's Instrument of Accession with India.
"Article 370 is the constitutional connection between J&K and the Indian Union. Instrument of Accession is contingent on Article 370, which is inextricably linked to Article 35A. Any tampering will render Treaty of Accession null & void," Mehbooba said in a series of tweets.
She said the Kashmir Valley was rife with speculation about the status of Article 35A.
"Before taking a decision, GoI (Government of India) must consider that J&K was the only Muslim-majority state that chose a secular India over Pak during partition," she added.
Mehbooba cautioned that Kashmiris should not be blamed for the developments if the special provision was scrapped.
"Those frothing at the mouth and calling for its removal shouldn't blame Kashmiris for the developments that will follow such a hare-brained decision," she said.
Centre Should Make Public Commitment on Article 35A: CPI(M)
The CPI (M) on Monday demanded that the Centre make a public commitment to retain Article 35A in the Constitution and opposed any move to interfere with it.
"The people of Jammu and Kashmir and shades of political opinion there are highly perturbed by reports of efforts to do away with Article 35A of the Constitution...The Politbureau of the CPI(M) expresses its strong opposition to the move to interfere with Article 35A. It calls upon the central government to make a public commitment that the Article will be retained intact in the Constitution," it said in a statement.
It also asked the central government to make its position clear on the matter.
The Jammu and Kashmir government's counsel had sought permission from the Supreme Court for circulating a letter among contesting parties for adjourning the upcoming hearing on pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35A, which provides special rights and privileges to natives of the state, saying there was no "elected government" in the state.
NDA Govt Needs to Act Rationally on Art 35A: Owaisi
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said the NDA government needs to act rationally on Article 35A of the Constitution as it is a sensitive issue.
He dismissed the talk that it was a matter concerning Muslims, saying even the Hindus of Jammu would not like any tinkering with 35A (which gives certain powers to Jammu and Kashmir).
"You repeatedly say that this is Muslim (issue). Even the Hindu of Jammu would not like it. A BJP MLA himself has given a statement against it. (Article) 35 A applies to the entire state, not just the Valley. That is why, we hope that the Modi government works rationally. Elections come and go. But, it is necessary to work rationally and not vigour.. This is a very sensitive matter," Owaisi told reporters in Hyderabad.
If the government tinkers with Article 35 A, it would send a wrong message to Naga separatists with whom the government is holding talks, he claimed.
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