Omar Abdullah renews opposition to 2019 changes as BJP defends Article 370 decision
Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti mark the Article 370 anniversary with renewed calls to reverse the 2019 constitutional changes. Image Credit: Wikimedia
New Delhi: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister, Omar Abdullah, on Wednesday said neither he nor the National Conference had accepted the constitutional changes introduced in 2019. His remarks came as the Union territory marked the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
In a post on X, Abdullah said, “Seven years, we haven’t forgotten and we haven’t reconciled, far less accepted our current circumstances.” He added that the National Conference remained committed to reversing the changes made in Jammu & Kashmir, which, according to him, had taken away people’s rights and threatened the region’s identity.
BJP defends 2019 decision
BJP leaders defended the Union government’s decision to revoke Article 370, describing it as a step that brought constitutional equality, development and greater integration to Jammu & Kashmir.
BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana said the 2019 decision had addressed long-standing inequalities in the former state. According to Khatana, women who married outside Jammu & Kashmir had earlier been denied inheritance rights, while Other Backward Classes (OBCs) did not enjoy the same constitutional safeguards available elsewhere in the country.
He also pointed to increased religious and general tourism, G20-related visits, growing investor interest and the recent Assembly election, in which voter turnout exceeded 60%, as signs of development and public confidence.
Separately, Himachal Pradesh Governor and former Jammu & Kashmir deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta described the abrogation of Article 370 as a landmark decision that strengthened the principles of “one Constitution, one law and equal rights.”
Gupta said the constitutional changes had extended safeguards and equal opportunities to communities including West Pakistan refugees, the Valmiki community and the Gorkha community. He credited the prime minister, Narendra Modi; the Union home minister, Amit Shah; and the Union government for driving the constitutional changes, saying they had widened access to education, employment and welfare benefits.
The BJP national general secretary, Tarun Chugh, also defended the constitutional changes, saying Jammu & Kashmir was now being recognized for development rather than terrorism. He said railway connectivity had reached remote areas, infrastructure had expanded and the Union government had brought the region onto the path of development.
Responding to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s remarks that militancy would not end without improved relations between India and Pakistan, Chugh criticised the National Conference government, saying it had failed to deliver on its election promises and should stop blaming the lieutenant governor for its shortcomings.
Echoing similar views, Madhya Pradesh BJP MLAs Bhagwandas Sabnani and Rameshwar Sharma described the abrogation as a landmark step towards national unity, saying it had strengthened the principle of one Constitution across the country.
PDP seeks restoration of Articles 370, 35A
The People’s democratic Party (PDP) chief, Mehbooba Mufti, led a protest in Srinagar on the eve of the anniversary and reiterated her party’s demand for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, alongside the release of political prisoners.
Mufti said Article 370 represented the identity of the people of Jammu & Kashmir and protected their land and employment rights. According to the report, she questioned the Union government’s assertion that the security situation had improved, saying that if conditions had normalized, security forces should be withdrawn from civilian areas.
She also referred to the killing of two labourers from Chhattisgarh earlier this week and alleged that thousands of people had been jailed under the label of “Over Ground Workers (OGWs).”
Calling Article 370 integral to Jammu & Kashmir’s constitutional identity, Mufti said the provision had been removed through Parliament despite the region’s opposition. She said the PDP would continue its protest to press for the restoration of the constitutional provisions.
Calls for statehood restoration
National Conference MLA Sajjad Shaheen renewed his party’s demand for the restoration of Jammu & Kashmir’s statehood, saying the region had been downgraded from a state into two Union territories despite public sentiment.
Shaheen urged the Union government to honour its commitment to restore statehood, referring to assurances made in Parliament and an affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court. He said restoring full statehood was essential for better governance and faster development in the region.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesman, Anand Dubey, also called for the restoration of statehood. While describing the abrogation of Article 370 as a moment of “joy and jubilation”, he said Jammu & Kashmir should once again have full statehood. Dubey also said tourism had increased since the constitutional changes and expressed hope that differences between the lieutenant governor and the elected government would ease over time.
Background
On August 5, 2019, the Union government revoked Article 370, ending the special constitutional status of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir. Article 35A, which provided special rights relating to permanent residency and property ownership, was also rendered inoperative.Parliament subsequently passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, bifurcating the former state into the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
