 Early Times Report
Jammu, July 15: The Congress found itself in an awkward political situation on Wednesday after senior party leader and former Union Minister Prof. Saifuddin Soz publicly asserted that the real issue for Jammu and Kashmir was not the restoration of statehood but the revival of Article 370 and internal autonomy.
Soz's remarks came at a time when the Congress has been aggressively campaigning for the restoration of statehood under its "Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq" campaign, a demand that has become the party's principal political plank in Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories following the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35-A on August 5, 2019.
The veteran Congress leader's statement is likely to put the party in an uncomfortable position, as the national leadership has deliberately refrained from seeking the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35-A since their abrogation. Instead, the Congress has consistently limited its public demand to the restoration of full statehood, a position that party leaders believe is constitutionally and politically more acceptable across the country.
Political observers believe the Congress has consciously avoided making Article 370 an electoral issue to prevent giving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an opportunity to portray the party as advocating the reversal of one of the Narendra Modi government's flagship decisions, a narrative the BJP has repeatedly used in national elections.
Breaking from the party's current line, Prof. Soz declared that the struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir should be centred on restoring the special constitutional status that existed before August 2019.
"Our real issue is not statehood, but the restoration of Article 370 and internal autonomy. The people of Jammu and Kashmir must fight for the restoration of Article 370," Soz said.
Addressing the younger generation, the former J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president recalled the historical circumstances under which the erstwhile princely state acceded to India.
"The younger generation must remember that we, a Muslim-majority state, chose to join India, a nation with a Hindu majority. We made the right decision to remain with India, but it must be on our own terms. Internal autonomy must be restored," he said.
His remarks assume significance as they come at a time when the Congress, along with other opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir, has intensified its campaign for the restoration of statehood. The party has maintained that restoring statehood is essential for the revival of democratic governance, administrative accountability and the constitutional rights of the people.
The Congress has so far avoided officially endorsing the demand for the restoration of Article 370 or Article 35-A, despite repeated calls from some leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. Instead, it has focused on urging the Centre to fulfil its commitment, reiterated on several occasions before the Supreme Court and in Parliament, to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.
Soz's comments, however, have once again exposed the divergence between the Congress's national political strategy and the sentiments expressed by some of its senior leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, potentially complicating the party's messaging as it seeks to build momentum around its statehood campaign. |