Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, in his first rally in the Kashmir Valley since he left the Congress party, on Sunday said that the restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir was unlikely to happen. Article 370 granted special constitutional status to the erstwhile State and it was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019.
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“For votes, I won’t mislead people like other parties. To restore Article 370, political parties would need a majority in the Lok Sabha of around 350 votes and 175 in the Rajya Sabha. This is a number no political party has or is likely to ever get. The number of Congress MPs (in the Lok Sabha) has come down to below 50 seats and if they speak of restoring Article 370, they are making false promises,” Mr. Azad said, during a public rally in north Kashmir’s Baramulla.
He was quick to add that a fresh law that can stop outsiders from applying in J&K can be even passed in the State Assembly.
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Mr. Azad, who announced to float a party in next 10 days, said false slogans have cost J&K a lot. “We have lost around one lakh people, around 50,000 women became widows and four to five lakh youth orphans,” Mr. Azad said.
He challenged the regional parties to restore Article 370. “If the political parties are claiming to restore the special status through a formula, what are they waiting for then? I will only talk about those things which are possible and achievable,” he said.
Mr. Azad reiterated that his priority for J&K would be restoration of Statehood and laws to protect land and jobs for locals. “These are achievable objectives,” he added.
In an oblique reference to J&K Apni Party chairman Altaf Bukhari’s remarks that Mr. Azad voted in favour of abrogation of provisions of Article 370, said, “A few people blamed me for voting in favour of abrogation. These people have no idea about the working of Parliament. I am the only person who protested. Everyone knows who protested.”
Mr. Azad said his upcoming political party will “be free with an independent ideology”. “It will not join or merge with any other party,” he added.