Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Aug 27: Senior Congress leader and former Member of Parliament (MP) Tariq Hameed Karra today alleged that attempts of erosion of Article 370 and 35A are the “sinister designs” of RSS and the BJP by taking judicial route.
Karra said that he filed the application in Supreme Court to defend the Article 35 A and has “all backing and assurance” from Congress party high command. Speaking to reporters during a press conference at his residence here, he said: “The application has been accepted by the Supreme Court. Filing application to contest the petition of Article 35-A was call of my conscience and other factors like PDP’s failure and a sinister design which I am seeing between the BJP and the PDP as a match-fixing”.
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“I got in touch with the high command of the Congress. They not only approved my going as a party, they also encouraged me and assured me of all backing and assistance in this regard, Karra said.
“RSS and the BJP have the sinister and nefarious designs of eroding Article 35A and the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by taking an indirect judicial route and taking a public posture of not being involved directly. By adopting this method, they are planning to sell tomorrow the fulfilling of their promise to the electorate of abrogating Article 35A and 370 and at the same time creating a room for PDP to say that this was done by the court and not by the BJP,” he said.
Karra alleged that PDP, of which he was founding member, has “bartered the honour and distinct identity with the lure of power”. “Had it not been so, why couldn’t the PDP convince or force its alliance partner to file its objections in the Supreme Court with regard to Article 35A? Therefore, to my understanding they are playing a fixed match just to address their respective constituencies to become martyrs in the eyes of the people,” he said.
The former PDP leader said that “he would like to assure the people of J&K that we have a very strong case historically, legally and constitutionally”. “Jammu and Kashmir is not the only state which is enjoying special rights under the Constitution of India. Entire northeast and Goa do enjoy special rights under Article 371, but I don’t know why those Articles are not being challenged”, he added.
“Why are they not being treated as unconstitutional and why only Article 370 seems to be unconstitutional,” he asked. He said that if Article 35A goes, then are they (Centre) ready to do away with all those presidential orders since 1950. “Then in that case, Jammu and Kashmir under the Constitution of India can only be governed by Article 1 and Article 370. Only these two will determine the connection between J-K and the Union of India. Article 35A is our minimum right and a part of bargain with Indian Union. We will not tolerate any attempt to fiddle with it,” he said.
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