Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Sept 13: Former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who left the Congress recently to form his own party, today said that no one can promise a favourable judgement from Supreme Court on Article 370 as three years have passed and it has not heard the matter.
Click here to watch video
While speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here today, Azad said that the Apex Court can restore the Article 370 but it lies in the court for the last three years. “The Supreme Court can do it, of course, it can, but for the last 3 years, it has not heard the matter; they have not even opened the file. Nobody can promise to get a favorable judgment from the SC,” he said.
The former Chief Minister, however, said that his priority is restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“My priority will be the restoration of Statehood and the security of land and jobs. I have already said a lot about 370 in the Parliament and people across the world have listened to it; I am the only one who talked in that tone. I won’t misguide people in this regard,” he added.
Azad said that he can’t make false promises on the restoration of Article 370. “377 MPs voted in favor of abrogating 370 and we got just 77 and to make it to 377, it is going to take a lot of work; I won’t say that, make me the CM and I will get it sorted; that’s not happening”, he said.
He said that his priority will be development as a lot has been lost to sloganeering and sentiments.
“Both the ways are open, but there is a need for taking up the issue of development and keeping 370 out of it because we have already lost a lot due to slogans, and sentiments; one lakh youth have died, and there has been destruction; Muslims died, Pandits died and nothing came out of it. No slogan should be based on any sentiment, not in Jammu, and not in Kashmir. I don’t have Aladdin’s lamp to get back Article-370,” he added.
“I have already made it clear that I will form the party only after meeting people, and it will not be just a political party”, he said.
“All the delegations came on their own to meet and express their support for me. And it must be happening for the first time that people are extending their support to an individual because there is no party yet,” he said.
Azad said that he sought support and permission of the delegation for the creation of a new party. “In Kashmir, people from every side are coming to meet and extend their support,” he added.
“I received thousands of names which the people have suggested for the party not only from J&K but the rest of the country as well,” he said.
He added that the Congress party did give him a stature, but there was a 90% contribution of his work to that. “The party does not give importance to those who are sleeping,” he added.
When asked about the claims made by the BJP that after the abrogation of Article 370 there has been lot of development and creation of jobs in Jammu and Kashmir, Azad said: “I am not against any political party or person but I have my way of carrying on with things; I flow like a river and people are out there to judge,” he said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
