BJP's Amit Malviya dares Congress to keep Art 370 restoration as main poll plank in 2024

On Sunday, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya hit out at senior Congress MP P Chidambaram for backing the demand of 6 mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir. In a joint statement issued on August 22, NC's Farooq Abdullah, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, Congress' GA Mir, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami, J&K People's Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone and ANC's Muzaffar Shah resolved to strive for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A and statehood. Malviya alleged that some of India's enemies are in the Congress party as well.

Moreover, he challenged Congress to keep the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A as the central issue of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Earlier in the day, Chidambaram urged the 6 J&K parties to remain steadfast on their demands and ignore uninformed criticism. The Rajya Sabha MP contended that the attempt to re-write history must be thwarted. 

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6 political parties in J&K flay Centre's measures

Revealing that they have barely managed to establish a basic level of communication with each other, the leaders of 6 mainstream political parties in J&K accused the government of imposing punitive curbs aimed at impeding political interactions. As per the joint statement, the division of the state into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh was deemed "unacceptable". Terming the series of measures undertaken on August 5, 2019, as "grossly unconstitutional", the leaders observed that changes posed a challenge to the basic identity of the people of J&K. Furthermore, they alleged that these changes were accompanied by repressive measures to silence people. 

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Mehbooba Mufti remains under detention

In August 2019, a presidential notification along with the passage of requisite legislation in both Houses of Parliament resulted in Article 370 becoming virtually redundant. Furthermore, the state was bifurcated into the Union Territory of J&K and Union Territory of Ladakh. Subsequently, several restrictions on the movement of people, communication, and internet services were imposed in the region.

Multiple leaders including former Chief Ministers Farooq and Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were detained. While the Public Safety Act charges against the Abdullah father-son duo were withdrawn in March 2020, Mufti was recently shifted to her Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar. On July 31, her detention under the PSA was extended by three months.

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