RSS calls for debate on Article 370

Alleging that parties in power in Jammu and Kashmir are misusing Article 370 to "to accomplish their personal agenda", RSS called for a debate on it.

Jammu: Alleging that parties in power in Jammu and Kashmir are misusing Article 370 to "to accomplish their personal agenda", RSS on Wednesday called for a debate on it. "Article 370 is nothing but an additional legalistic mechanism to make some laws when Constituent Assembly was not constituted in Jammu and Kashmir," Senior RSS leader Arun Kumar said at a seminar, "Article 370: Reality and Myths", organised by Jammu and Kashmir Study Centre here on Wednesday.

"Article 370 is a temporary arrangements but ruling parties have been abusing this Article to accomplish their personal agenda," he alleged. He said it was high time to take this issue to a logical conclusion because the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered a lot due to this Article. Instead of giving any benefit to the state`s people, this Article has help discriminate against weaker sections, women and minorities, he alleged. Maintaining that Jammu and Kashmir has been "mis-quoted", "mis-handled" and "mis-carried", Kumar said nationalist forces all over the country have decided to take political discourse of the state by highlighting issues, which remained unheard due to vicious campaign of some forces of the Kashmir Valley. Speaking on the occasion, senior advocate Sunil Sethi said this Article has not given any benefit to the people, and emphasised the need to evolve national consensus on it, which, according to him, negates the power of Parliament. Former Law department head of Jammu University K L Bhatia said, "Article 370 was not part of the draft constitution prepared by the drafting committee headed by B R Ambedkar." "...It was introduced in the Constituent Assembly of India by Gopalaswamy Ayyengar after persistent persuasion by the representatives from Jammu & Kashmir, that is National Conference headed by late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, which was the only political party at that time," Bhatia said.