As polling for all the five Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir will be concluded on Saturday, the Congress has promised an "alternative of Article 370" to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to protect land and job rights.
National general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Ghulam Ahmed Mir said that his party is committed to protecting the job and land rights of the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Interacting with media persons in south Kashmir's Anantnag district where the party is supporting the National Conference candidate Mian Altaf against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, the Congress leader did not endorse the demand of restoring Article 370.
The National Conference, a coalition partner of the Congress, has repeatedly pledged to restore Article 370 if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc manages to defeat the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The Congress sidestepped the question regarding the demand to reinstate this constitutional provision.
Ghulam Ahmed Mir, former Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief, acknowledged that Article 370 was originally granted to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir by the first Prime Minister of the country Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Yet, he refrained from endorsing the National Conference's demand for its restoration.
"We will provide an alternative to Article 370 for the people of Jammu and Kashmir after the INDIA bloc returns to power," Mir asserted confidently.
Mir emphasized that when Congress and other secular parties regain power, they will prioritize the welfare of Jammu and Kashmir. He recalled that immediately after the decision to revoke Article 370, Congress convened a meeting of its highest body, resolving to stand at the forefront of the struggle alongside the people of the region.
Article 370 was revoked on August 5, 2019
The contentious Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was revoked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on August 5, 2019, following a decisive mandate. Since then, the political landscape in the region has witnessed significant shifts, leading to the emergence of the INDIA bloc—a coalition of parties united against the BJP's policies.
During the election campaign for the three Lok Sabha seats of Kashmir, the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party raked up the issue of, what they alleged, illegal revocation of Article 370. These parties promised to restore Article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir if the INDIA bloc returns to power.
SC dismisses petitions seeking review of Article 370 case verdict
Notably on Tuesday Supreme Court rejected petitions requesting a review of its December 11, 2023 decision, which upheld the Centre's move to abrogate provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, granting special status to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
"After examining the review petitions, no error is apparent on the face of the record. No case for review under Order XLVII Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules 2013. Consequently, the review petitions are dismissed," stated a five-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in its May 1 order, which was made public on Tuesday. The Bench also included Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice AS Bopanna.
