Kulgam, Nov 09: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is struggling with its election agenda and is involving Rahul Gandhi and Congress in the Article 370 debate to compensate, said Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami on Saturday.
The Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Kulgam constituency said Rahul Gandhi has not yet explicitly included the return of Article 370 in his agenda. The BJP, he said, is using the discussion of Article 370 as a tactic to compensate for a lack of issues in their election campaign, which is currently ongoing in several states.
“All we said in the assembly was that what happened on August 05, 2019, occurred without consulting us. It was done without our consent. We are simply requesting that our constitutional status be restored and that the Government of India start a dialogue with the representatives of Jammu and Kashmir. So, what did we ask for? We want a dialogue,” he said.
The CPI(M) leader questioned the attempts to involve Rahul Gandhi and the Congress in the debate. “Why?” he asked.
“As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, the constitution made by the Constituent Assembly included several prominent leaders, including Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, whom the BJP regards as a hero. Mukherjee was part of the cabinet when Article 370 was discussed, and there is no record of dissenting about it,” he added.
Tarigami said that in 1927, Maharaja Hari Singh issued an order granting permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir exclusive rights to land ownership and local jobs. “The law was made to protect our land so that if an outsider comes here, they cannot simply claim our land. This assembly should assert that the land and jobs belong to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The MLA Kulgam added, “The people of Jammu did not elect BJP representatives just to make noise; they were sent to participate meaningfully in debates and express their views.”
“They (BJP) have the right to present their stance. They should voice their opinions in the house and have their views formally recorded. That is the proper method of debate and discussion, and that is the role of this assembly,” he said.
