‘Talks with Pak fall under EAM’s jurisdiction’
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Mar 6: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Legislative Assembly and MLA Paddar-Nagseni Assembly Constituency, Sunil Sharma, today advised the Congress, National Conference, PDP, CPI(M), PC, and other legislators to get used to the Jammu and Kashmir’s Constitutional status post August 5, 2019, as he claimed that no party can get Article 370 back, come what may.
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“Article 370 has gone long back……it has become history now…….it won’t come back whichever party comes to the power. I advise the Congress, NC, PDP, CPI(M), PC and other legislators speaking in favour of this ‘temporary provision’ of the Constitution, as validated by the Supreme Court, to get used to the J&K’s Constitutional status post August 5, 2019,” Sharma said, while speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the Lieutenant Governor’s address.
Citing reasons for why pre-August 5, 2019 status couldn’t be restored back, he said, “It cannot be done because it was a ‘temporary provision’ in the Indian Constitution and the Parliament of the Country has annulled this provision. Those still yearning for this status now are only wasting their time.”
Earlier, while responding to CPI(M) legislator MY Tarigami as well, who, while speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the Lieutenant Governor’s address, had claimed that Article 370 abrogation still haunts the people of Kashmir and most politicians of the Jammu and Kashmir, Sunil Sharma said, “This haunting will continue and those yearning for this Article have to get used to the reality now.”
Referring to the pre-abrogation of Article 370 status and Kashmir-based politicians demanding it back, Sharma said, “They have to understand that there cannot be a state within the state as all the states of the country had been merged completely with the Indian Union but J&K.”
He questioned as to why the Indian Constitution was not implemented in the region earlier.
“This was happening because Congress party was doing the politics of appeasement under the garb of Article 370. The BJP took a bold move and scrapped this special provision of the Constitution,” he said.
He also blamed the ruling National Conference and other Kashmir-based parties for repeatedly defaming Maharaja Hari Singh and asked how Congress tolerated this all during their tenure in the power.
On July 1931 killings, he said, Maharaja’s character has been assassinated perpetually by the Valley-based parties inspite of the fact that the agitation in 1931 was backed by some British officials against the then ruler of the State.
Making references from PN Bajaj’s book, Sharma said the first martyr of Kashmir was Tika Lal Taploo, who was selectively targeted by the terrorists.
He also cited incidents of targeting of Kashmiri Pandits’ shops and looting of their properties in the turmoil as Saifullah Mir of NC spoke about “Kashmiri martyrs”.
In reply to veteran NC legislator Ali Mohammad Sagar, who advocated for talks with Pakistan, the LoP said, “This is not in the domain of Assembly. This has to be done by the Ministry of the External Affairs (MEA). They know how to do this.”
“So far as political efforts are concerned”, Sharma said, “Vajpayee started bus service to Muzzafarabad under reconciliation efforts with Pakistan but got Kargil back.”
He said while Vajpayee played the role of father to initiate reconciliation with Pakistan, Modi played the son as he continued similar efforts but got Pathankot and other terror attacks back.
He also took on PDP, NC, and PC for blaming each other for lobbying with the BJP for power. “This is happening because BJP has become a force.”
Sharma also targeted the NC for bringing the Public Safety Act (PSA) in 1978 during the Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s Government and using this against Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
While speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the LG’s address, MLA Udhampur East RS Pathania took NC head on for ignoring the political guarantees provided in the party’s election manifesto.
He also claimed that the LG’s address was the copy-paste of the Central Government schemes.
Replying to CPI(M) Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, who claimed that J&K was sold in 1846, Pathania said the Treaty of Amritsar was not a sale deed but a war indemnity.
On “Special Status”, Pathania also claimed that nothing like special status existed in the Constitution.
Quoting the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench, he said it was only a temporary special provision that got annulled by the Parliament of the Country.
He further said that Article 370 was not done away with by the BJP.
“It was annulled only due to the irresponsible utterances of the PDP and NC leaders especially during Amarnath Yatra,” he said.
On certain NC, PDP and other legislators’ claim that nothing was done to win the hearts of Kashmiris, Pathania said Rs 80000 crore package was given to the Kashmiris by the Modi Government and full cabinet was deputed to listen to their grievances.
“But you’re still demanding Article 370 back. This won’t happen,” he said.
On NC legislator’s demand for holding dialogue with Pakistan, Pathania also claimed that Atal Bihari Vajpayee got Kargil in response to his efforts of reconciliation and PM Modi, who invited Nawaz Sharief after Government formation, besides holding secretary-level talks, and inviting Nawaz Sharief to SAARC summit with latter not attending the same, he said India had to see Pathankot and other attacks.
BJP MLA from Doda West Assembly segment, Shakti Raj Parihar echoed similar sentiments as he claimed that a change is visible in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.
He especially thanked PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for respecting the core ideology of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee by ending the system of two nations, two flags, and two constitutions.
Blaming Pakistan for selective killings of particular community members in erstwhile Doda and other Jammu districts in infamous Chapnari and Kulhand like attacks, he also credited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani for starting Doda Bachao Andolan and raising VDCs to fight the terrorists.
Replying NC, PDP, Congress and other legislators about what has changed after Article 370 abrogation, Parihar said the change is visible in the form of pro-India mindset of people in Kashmir.
BJP legislator from Udhampur West Assembly segment, Pawan Gupta, also claimed that Kashmiri politicians created a sense of alienation and separatism under the garb of Article 370 for several generations.
He said they would frequently target the Indian Government of dire consequences claiming, Article 370 cannot be done away with, “but our Government did it with commitment.”
Gupta said the Valley-based politicians would also label those politicians as “traitors” who talked about scrapping of special status.
“Pt Prem Nath Dogra and my father were among those politicians and they were not the traitors,” he said.
“Kashmiri politicians need to do serious introspection to find out as to why the need was felt to scrap Article 370,” Gupta said.
He also blamed the National Conference Government for poor implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) on the ground.
Senior NC legislator, Dr Shafi Ahmad Wani from Beerwah Assembly Constituency said that a different level of democracy was adopted on August 5, 2019 when a unilateral decision was imposed on the people without consulting them.
He said on this day, the internet and other rights of the people were snatched and political parties’ representatives as well as other intellectuals and thinkers, students, doctors and others were put behind the bars.
He claimed that these unilateral decisions of the BJP and increased problems were replied with by the people of the region by giving thumping majority to the NC in the Legislative Assembly elections.
NC legislator from Chadoora Assembly segment, Ali Mohammad Dar took a jibe at PC’s Sajjad Gani Lone for raking up the issue of the alleged rigging of elections of 1987.
He said if elections were rigged that year, NC would not have formed a Government thereafter.
He also credited Omar Abdullah for passing the resolution on restoration of the Special Status in the Legislative Assembly.
Meanwhile, Dar blamed the LG rule for manifolds increase in the corruption in Jammu and Kashmir and appealed the Omar Government to look into this scourge on a priority basis.
Peoples Conference leader and lone MLA in the Legislative Assembly, Sajjad Gani Lone claimed that the content of the LG’s address was good but context was not.
He claimed that whatever NC promised in its manifesto was not visible in the LG’s address.
He specifically targeted the party for its alleged failure in restoration of the statehood, Article 370, 35A, release of political prisoners, rehabilitation of KPs, termination and alleged harassment of the employees on the highways.
He said that all the legislators were imprisoned in the aftermaths of the revocation of Article 370 but now when the Assembly has been restored after the elections, efforts should be made to take up the issue of restoration of the State with the Centre.
He further said that NC has failed to reflect the people’s aspirations in the LG’s address. Lone also slammed BJP leader and LoP in the Legislative Assembly Sunil Sharma for “denigrating” the “Kashmiri martyrs”.
He concluded by saying that the LG’s address looks more like a NC’s love letter to the BJP than the vision document of the Government.
Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the LG’s address, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami said Article 370 still haunts most people of Kashmir and the most legislators of the house.
He also termed BJP leaders’ “disrespectful” reference of “Kashmiri martyrs.”
Tarigami also took on BJP for “separating” the Ladakh region, which he said, was integrated with the mainland by a Dogra warrior General Zorawar Singh. Tarigami, however, was corrected by the BJP leaders, who claimed that the region is still under the India’s control and administered well than it was being administered under the “Kashmir rule”.
Tarigami said that in the constitutional history of the country, never a state had been downgraded to the UT like it was done in the case of J&K.
He said when other states like UP, MP and Bihar were divided, the matter was referred to the concerned Legislative Assemblies but in the case of J&K, that was not done.
Inspite of being downgraded to the status of UT, Tarigami said that he believed that the J&K Assembly was a bigger institution than the Supreme Court because it represented the aspirations of the people of J&K.
AAP MLA from Doda Mehraj Malik blamed BJP for increase in the number of liquor shops, mafia culture, and corruption.
He also claimed that the outsiders are being given major projects, leading to economic distress among the locals with all the money going outside the Union Territory.
Malik said BJP leaders are also involved in drug trade, which was vociferously objected by the BJP legislators Sham Lal Sharma, Pawan Gupta and other leaders.
Malik, however, continued with his allegations and claimed that the money being plundered from the UT is being used for religious purposes by the BJP to which Sham Lal Sharma raised strong objection.
As the matter escalated, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather intervened and stopped Malik from using the “unparliamentarily language”, claiming, “Nobody will be allowed to play with the sentiments of any member”. He also claimed that Malik has taken his words back.
NC MLA Altaf Ahmad Wani from Pahalgam Assembly constituency expressed displeasure over the use of “derogatory words” against the “Kashmiri martyrs” while speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the LG’s address.
He also asked BJP to clear its stand on repeatedly targeting his party with the jibe “Pakistan is in the DNA of National Conference”.
NC MLA from Shangus-Anantnag East Reyaz Ahmad Khan also demanded that all parties appeal the Centre to restore statehood to the region.
Independent MLA from Surankote Assembly segment, Choudhary Mohammad Akram, asked whether BJP leaders don’t want the Statehood back.
He also blamed BJP leadership for making Gujjar-Bakerwal and ST community members fight in the name of reservation.
“But fortunately, you didn’t succeed in your plans,” he said.
Independent legislator from Inderwal Assembly Constituency Pyare Lal Sharma, in his address, blamed BJP leadership for only cutting the ribbons for projects initiated during the NC-Congress Government’s tenure.
He also blamed the party for plundering resources of the region by outsourcing the contracts to the outsiders.
NC MLA Ajaz Jan from Poonch Haveli Assembly segment, said that the people had extreme sigh of relief after formation of the current Government. He praised the Government for ensuring various public welfare schemes.
Independent MLA from Langate Assembly segment, Sheikh Khursheed Ahmad blamed NC for not reflecting their election promises in the LG’s address.
Calling for restoration of Statehood back, he took a jibe on NC, saying, “At least, they should raise their voice for what is not in their hands.”
He also sought re-integration of Ladakh with Jammu and Kashmir and a direct train to Kashmir from Delhi.
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