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| Soz brushes aside Karan Singh's call for 'restraint' | | Debate on Article 370 | | Kunal Shrivatsa
Jammu, May 30: Even as former Sadar-e-Riyasat and veteran Congress leader Dr Karan Singh made a fervent appeal to all concerned for maintaining restraint on Article 370, it seems, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, has paid no attention to the request of his senior leader and kept up the rhetoric on the issue.
Distraught by the raging controversy over Article 370, Dr Karan Singh issued a statement yesterday wherein he urged all the concerned quarters to exercise maximum restraint as the issue is 'extremely sensitive' which needs to be handled in a 'mature fashion'.
"The whole question is extremely sensitive and must be handled coolly and in a mature fashion. The sort of statements issued from both sides will only create further tension in J&K," maintained Dr Karan Singh.
However, PCC president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, while talking to media persons here today at PCC Headquarters, did not pay heed to his senior colleague's advice as he minced no words on Article 370 and openly said that the issue is non- debatable.
"There is no need for any discussion on Article 370 as it is a closed chapter for Congress party," Prof Soz told reporters while stirring the ongoing row.
"Why because, the only authority pursuant to the Constitution of India is the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir State and it had already concluded its business in 1957 thereafter there is no institution which can go into this question. My statement restored serenity in the Valley when I made it clear that Article 370 cannot be abrogated," Soz added.
Responding to the questions of media persons, Prof Soz said that BJP rakes up the issue of Article 370 whenever elections are round the corner.
"There is nothing new in it. BJP talks about common civil code, construction of Ram Temple and abrogation of Article 370 in their manifesto but my stand is very clear that Article 370 cannot be amended, cannot be abrogated except with the free will of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh," said Soz. He said that no power on earth can abrogate Article 370 adding that BJP is talking about the issue in all its manifestos but they could not repeal it and the Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, who initially made a statement on abrogation, had to retract it.
Soz further said that Article 370 acts like a link between the state and the Union of India and if this connection is removed it will be a piquant situation for the state adding that this article is an integral part of the Constitution of India and nobody can change it.
"Article 370 is not just a part of the Constitution of India but it also serves as a bridge for application of Central laws in Jammu and Kashmir," said Soz.
While Soz plainly refused to have any discussion on Article 370, his alliance partner National Conference, the other day, invited all stakeholders to conduct a debate on the merits and demerits of Article 370. |
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