Srinagar: Peoples’ Conference chairperson Sajad Gani Lone on Friday sought clarification from the ruling National Conference (NC) after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarked that his party ‘never talked about restoration of Article 370’.
“Now even the All India president of Congress Mr Mallikarjun Kharge has clarified that they never talked about getting Article 370 back. Do the people of J and K not deserve even a clarification from the National Conference,” Lone said on X.
Referring to the resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir assembly recently which asked the Centre to work out a mechanism for restoring the special status of the erstwhile state and hold dialogue with the elected representatives over the issue, Lone said there were different interpretations to it by alliance partners the NC and Congress.
In a veiled dig on Education Minister Sakina Itoo, who on the day of moving of a fresh resolution by Sajad Lone, Waheed Parra, Sheikh Khursheed and few others, said that, “Those Moving Fresh Resolution Today Lack Understanding of Language, Ought To Learn What ‘Special Status’ Meant in Our Resolution“, Lone said, “Seems we all will have to learn English from the basics. Different interpretations for three sentences in the alleged resolution brought by NC. Either only NC people know their English well or they are lying through their teeth, which they are adept at for the last 7 decades,” he said.
The People’s Conference chief, who is also Handwara MLA, said while the Congress says the resolution was not about Article 370, the NC says it was about Article 370 and much more.
“If NC was so serious about 1953 position or Article 370 or 35 A or 5 August, why didn’t they write so in plain English. Why are they having to explain three sentences.”
“Was there a dearth of paper to print the resolution on, or death of will and courage or the choice of words were pre-scripted and authored in Delhi,” he asked.
Lone said let it be clear that the resolution “is akin to rubbing salt to the wounds of the people”.
“We voted for it. But immediately gave a call to reinforce it.”
“NC used to say that if you vote for others, they along with BJP will bring a resolution endorsing the events of 5 August 2019. What stops them now, they are (can) do it in the coming assembly session,” he said.
He asked what stopped the NC from bringing a clear unambiguous resolution condemning August 5, 2019, and rejecting it.
“And this word special status. Is it present anywhere in the constitution. Constitutionality it means absolutely nothing. Folklore parlance and constitutional parlance are two different concepts altogether,” he added.
Lone said “it is, was and will always be a fixed match between the BJP and the NC”.
“The reaction of BJP was all so expected, putting Congress in the dock of in the context of elections in Maharashtra. We have understood it. When will Congress understand it. Perhaps never,” he said.
Lone’s statement follows after PDP leader Waheed Parra said that National Conference leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’s argument against Congress’ take on resolution passed by the Assembly on restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir falls flat as Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary has also ‘delinked return of Article 370 from the resolution’.
Para responding to Srinagar Lok Sabha member Mehdi’s post on X earlier in which he had said the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge or JKPCC president Tariq Hameed Karra do not have “a right to misinterpret the resolution passed by the J&K Legislative Assembly in the last session”.
Para posted on X, “This argument falls flat, considering the National Conference (NC) had a pre-poll alliance with the Congress. So, it matters what the Congress says.”
“But it appears that the NC didn’t bother to clarify the Congress’ stance on 5th August 2019, Article 370, or Article 35A during their seat-sharing (read power-sharing) negotiations,” the PDP leader said.
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