Jammu | The CPI(M) Friday hit out at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s “Article 35A is constitutionally vulnerable and an impediment to the economic development of Jammu and Kashmir” comment, saying the remarks revealed the real intention of the saffron party.
In a blog, the senior BJP leader said Article 35A was “surreptitiously” included by a presidential notification in the Constitution in 1954.
The Article 35A, he said, was neither part of the original Constitution framed by the constituent assembly, nor did it come as a constitutional amendment under Article 368 of the Constitution which requires approval by two-thirds majority of both Houses of Parliament.
Article restricts non-permanent residents to buy property in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Jaitley said Article 35A is constitutionally vulnerable and an impediment to the economic development of Jammu and Kashmir. It reveals the real intentions of the saffron party in relation to special status of the state,” senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said.
He said the BJP was “misrepresenting” the Constitution and the state.
“Why don’t BJP leaders come out in open and say whatever laws passed by the ruler of the state Maharaja Hari Singh were wrong?” he said.
The Kulgam MLA said if Article 35-A was deleted from the Constitution, accession of the state with the Union of India was liable to be jeopardised.
“Article 35-A is not the only provision in the Constitution of India in its application to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been added by the President by a Presidential Order issued under Article 370 (1),” he added.
At this juncture, the Left leader said, democratic forces, including political parties, intelligentsia and civil society at large should put their heads together, discuss the situation intensively and launch a concerted struggle against this “mischief”.
“While doing so caution has to be exercised so that the forces who profess hyper nationalism for political interests should not divide people of the state on regional and communal lines,” he said.
Tarigami said the conspiracy to remove Article 35-A was essentially the agenda of “communal, divisive and anti-democratic forces who want to thrive on uncertainty, discard, hatred and turmoil”.
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