Rahul Gandhi on Article 370: Former Congress president and party MP Rahul Gandhi finally broke his silence on scrapping of Article 370, a day after a resolution to this effect was accepted by the Rajya Sabha, and predicted grave implications on national security as a result of the government action. The Narendra Modi government at the Centre revoked Article 370 granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state in two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without one.
On Tuesday, the former Congress President hit out on the government on Twitter saying, “National integration isn’t furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution. This nation is made by its people, not plots of land.”
“This abuse of executive power has grave implications for our national security,” he added.
Rahul’s assertion comes as the Lok Sabha debates the resolution introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah today. Crucially, several Congress leaders have also spoken against the party line articulated by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and expressed support to the revocation of Article 370, despite the vehement protest by the opposition leader and Kapil Sibal.
Janardan Dwivedi, a senior Congress leader said, “My mentor Ram Manohar Lohia was against Article 370 from the start…My personal view is that this is a matter of national satisfaction. A mistake made during independence has been corrected, even if belatedly,” reported ANI.
Another Congress leader Deepender Hooda, son of former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, had tweeted earlier, “My personal view is that there isn’t a need to have Article 370 in the 21st century.” Congress’ chief whip Bhubaneshwar Kalita also tendered his resignation from the party as well as the Assembly after he was asked to issue a whip to party MPs. Kalita reportedly disagreed with his party’s stand on the matter and quit.