Early Times Report
New Delhi, May 27: Hours after he raised a huge political storm by seeking a debate on the future of Article 370, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Jitendra Singh embarked on damage-limitation exercise, arguing that he had been "misquoted," and that the entire controversy was "baseless."
"I seek to clarify that the reports in the media about my statement on Article 370 are misquoted. I have never said anything quoting the Honourable Prime Minister. The controversy is totally baseless," he said in a statement tonight.
Soon after he took charge in the DoPT, Singh, a medical practitioner who won the Udhampur seat on the BJP ticket, reopened the chapter on the Constitutional provision that accords a special status to Jammu and Kashmir. His remarks invited a swift retaliation from Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti. |
