Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 18: National Conference today expressed serious concern over the decision of the Central Government to not file a written response to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Supreme Court challenging Article 35-A of the Constitution of India.
In a statement issued from Party Head Office, ‘Nawa-e-Subha’ in Srinagar, senior NC leaders Ali Muhammad Sagar, Abdul Rahim Rather, Muhammad Shafi Uri, Nasir Aslam Wani and Devender Singh Rana said the Central Government’s decision to remain ambiguous on the very sensitive issue indicated a political intention to support and patronize those forces that want to use the judicial route to launch an assault on Article 35-A and Article 370 of the Constitution of India.
“The decision of the Attorney General to not file a written counter-response to the PIL before it was referred to the three Judge bench of the Supreme Court, has raised many red flags and yet again points towards the fact that the powers that be in New Delhi are patronizing and supporting such moves to question J&K’s Special Status and State Subject Laws”, the senior NC leaders said.
“Article 35A of the Constitution of India empowers the Legislature of J&K to define ‘Permanent Residents’ of the State and subsequently empowers the Legislature to provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents. It is the responsibility of the Central Government and the Attorney General to respond to such Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in a transparent, unambiguous and unequivocal manner and that has clearly not happened”, the NC leaders added.
The NC leaders said the recent extension of the GST regime to J&K through a Presidential Order, robbing the State of its fiscal autonomy, was the most recent instance when the PDP-led State Government and the Central Government had collaborated to inflict irreparable harm on the State’s Autonomy and Special Status.
“We are in the process of getting all possible details of the PIL and the related proceedings and will consult legal and constitutional experts on this issue. NC has, and will continue to fight for the State’s Special Status and the restoration of its Autonomy”, the statement added.
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