Bhopal: Objecting to BJP’s move of abrogating Articles 370 and 35(A), senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of junking Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s doctrine of 'Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and Jamhuriyat' related to Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh was replying to a comment made by his party colleague P Chidambaram who had said that the Centre would not have resorted to revoking J&K’s special status if the state had been a Hindu-dominated region. Singh said that while this might be Chidambaram's view, the matter should not be seen with the perspective of Hindu-Muslim.
"The late PM Atal ji had said that ‘Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jamhuriyat’ could only solve the Jammu and Kashmir issue, but PM Modi has dumped all the three (while dealing with the J&K issue)," said Singh.
When asked whether recent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir could be equated to the Emergency days, Singh said all political events are different. In those days, the media wasn’t allowed to speak and this was done through written orders, but nowadays it’s being done indirectly.
“Whatever they want is published and written in the media,” said Singh, pointing out that there was difference in account of events being claimed by the Centre and that depicted by the media.
“Our objection isn’t directed at the abrogation of articles 370 and 35A but the manner in which it was done,” he said, alleging that the Centre has jailed leaders of all mainstream political parties and sent 35,000 central forces to even take over law and order by replacing the J&K Police.
Singh said that Article 370 was mooted by Maharaja Hari Singh, king of Kashmir, on the insistence of Kashmiri Pandits in 1927 and was later implemented through a presidential proclamation. He also countered criticism aimed at Congress, saying, “Sadar-e-Riyasat was renamed as the Governor, the Prime Minister was turned to Chief Minister, and the Supreme Court’s domain was extended to J&K.”
“We need to remember that holding onto Kashmir would not have been possible without the support of locals and Sheikh Abdullah post-independence," he said, adding that he considers J&K, including Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) an integral part of India.
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