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NEW DELHI: BJP on Monday attacked Congress for aligning with parties like National Conference and PDP, who have been campaigning for revitalisation of Article 370 and had expressed desire to seek China’s support and international intervention for solution of the Kashmir issue.
Two days after Congress’s announcement that it had joined hands with PDP and NC for the forthcoming district development council polls, BJP twice denounced Congress in a space of five hours. “I want to ask Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, do they want restoration of Article 370? Please tell the nation categorically and clearly, does Congress support annulment of pro people laws?” law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked at a press conference, attacking the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a conglomerate of various J&K parties whose demands have drawn some support from Congress. The signatories to the Gupkar Declaration have appealed to the international community to take note of the situation in the Valley.
Prasad highlighted the “anti-national” stand of NC member Farooq Abdullah in seeking China’s support for restoration Article 370, and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti’s vow not to fly the tricolour unless she was allowed to unfurl the flag J&K used to have before extinction of its special status.
Prasad took the field just hours after BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had lashed out at Congress for demanding the restoration of Article
370. Prasad said full restoration of Article 370 would also mean rolling back progressive and pro-poor laws which have been extended to the UT.
He said earlier, women from J&K would lose their property rights if they married outside, and listed a whole slew of laws which could not be applied in J&K because of Article 370. The alliance of about 10 regional parties have demanded restoration of Article 370, a demand supported by some senior Congress members.
