Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 10: The former Union Minister, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta has indicted those who are linking the accession of J&K with Article 370 of the Constitution and alleged that such elements are playing bluff to arouse communal feelings to divide the people for their political ends.
In a rejoinder to Dr. Farooq and his likes, Prof. Gupta said that the accession had taken place on October 26, 1947, when the Maharaja of the State had signed the Instrument of Accession by using his legal authority and J&K like other over 560 States came to be irrevocable part of the country but Article 370 was incorporated in the Constitution about three years later having little relevance with the Accession. Moreover, this Article on the very face of it is a temporary provision.
It is a travesty of the history that this controversial Article still existed in the statue book even after the expiry of more than six decades, he said and added that the so called special status to the State under Article 370 has caused more harm than any good to the people. This has provided the opportunity to pseudo secularists and separatists to generate a psychological barrier between this State and rest of India by arousing communal sentiments. But this has been a major cause that the economic conditions could not improve resulting in growing dependence at the Centre, Gupta said.
Prof. Gupta alleged that NC leaders and some others were trying to fish in the troubled waters although the basic problem is the aggressive designs of the theocratic Pakistan which needed to be tackled.
He said that it is on record that in Lucknow, Dr. Farooq himself had said that Article 370 is not that sacrosanct. But it is sorry state of affairs that some politicians change colour like the weather to suit their ends.
Prof. Gupta asked the protagonists of Article 370 that they should explain that what the people have gained out of this provision as it was there for such a long time.
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