Narendra Modi's call for a debate on Article 370

JAMMU: Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's call for a debate on Article 370 of the Indian Constitution has snowballed into a political controversy in Jammu & Kashmir.

In his 'Lalkar rally', attended by nearly one lakh people at MA Stadium in Jammu on Sunday, Modi challenged the critics of the BJP's demand for abrogation of Article 370 to at least debate whether the article had benefited or harmed the people of the state. Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to the state of J&K within the Union of India.

Reacting to Modi's call, Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said, "Even the ordinary students of Constitutional history know that Article 370 providing special status to J&K has gained a permanent status after the Constitutional assembly of the state approved it." Former chief minister and ex-Union home minister Sayeed added that Modi's utterances had the potential of creating fissures within the state besides increasing trust deficit between the state and the Centre. Expressing hope that people of the state would take Modi's remarks as no more than electoral rhetoric, Mufti warned that if the push ever came to shove over the Article 370, the state would rise up against any attempt at diluting the special position of Jammu and Kashmir.

In an interview to a Kashmir-based news agency, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman Hurriyat Conference (M), also termed Modi statement "unrealistic and far from the political and historic ground realities of Jammu and Kashmir." He asked the Indian political mainstream to change its political perspective on the Kashmir issue.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah had promptly reacted to Modi's remarks with a sequel of tweets on the microblogging social networking site Twitter. "I challenge him or any of his minions to reproduce verbatim the section of Article 370 that determines the J&K state subject law." Omar also said that Modi was either badly informed or economical with the truth.

At a press conference here, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress committee (JKPCC) president Saif-ud-din Soz dared Modi to have a debate with him on Article 370. Soz said, "Modi is not aware of the facts. Whatever he said was not correct." He promptly added that Modi had no knowledge of history and the Constitution of India. "Article 370 is not revocable because it is of permanent nature in the Constitution of India," said the Congress leader and added that Article 370 was a 'bridge' between Jammu and Kashmir and the Union of India.

Soz said that Modi was not factually correct about what Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said on Article 30. "Pt Nehru had said that Article 370 could be debated but within a period of time and could be amended only if people of the state wanted."

In a press statement, Awami Mutahida Mahaz (AMM) said Modi's seeking of a debate over Article 370 is not only unwarranted but totally unacceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We demand a concrete decision be taken to restore the eroded provisions of this Article of faith to its original status in the Constitution.

BJP defends Narendra Modi, challenges Omar Abdullah for debate

J&K unit of BJP on Monday slammed chief minister Omar Abdullah for criticizing Narendra Modi over his remark on Article 370 and challenged him to hold a debate over the issue with any BJP leader.

"We accept his (Omar) challenge to hold a debate on Article 370. He must come forward to hold the debate with any BJP leader," state BJP president and MLA Jugal Kishore Sharma told reporters in Jammu on Monday.

"Omar is trying to distort facts to mislead and hoodwink the general masses," Sharma said.

The BJP leader claimed that both Congress and NC had "misused" Article 370 to deprive the people of the state of their fundamental rights and promote communalism, separatism and politics of regional discrimination.

Sharma also debunked Omar's attack on Modi that he made a false statement that under Article 370, women in the state did not have the same rights as men. He said the chief minister was "blissfully ignorant" of the role played by BJP to ensure gender equality.

(With inputs from PTI) Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com