NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday once again invoked the abrogation of Article 370, which was upheld by the Supreme Court recently.
He said the people of J&K were deprived of rights for seven decades despite India’s first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru saying that Article 370 would disappear one day.
In an interview to India Today, Modi said there are people who had an issue with the delay in terminating a temporary provision. The prime minister said Nehru told in Parliament on Article 370 that ‘ghiste ghiste ghis jaayega (it would disappear one day).
The PM said people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially women and those from underprivileged committees were deprived of their rights for seven decades. Hailing the abrogation of special status, Modi said the people of J&K and Ladakh are now free to ‘shape their destinies’ with their own hands.
On December 11, the top court had upheld the Centre’s 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution. On August 5, 2019, the Modi government had repealed Article 370 and 35A that gave special status to the erstwhile state of J&K. The former state was bifurcated into two territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had directed to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir and the Election Commission to conduct assembly elections by September 30, 2024.
What PM Modi said on holding elections in J&K?
When asked on holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister said the union territory is already represented in the Parliament. He added that a three-tier panchayati raj system was established in J&K and 35,000 leaders were elected.
The prime minister said that the women of J&K are emerging in various fields, new industries are opening up. He asserted that terrorism hit record lows while tourism reached new heights.