Congress backs coalition, wants Art 370 restored

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 16

The Congress today threw its weight behind the newly carved-out alliance of Jammu and Kashmir mainstream parties lending its voice to their demand for the restoration of Article 370 in the erstwhile state.

A day after six mainstream JK parties formed the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration to press for the return to pre-August 5, 2019, status of J&K, Congress veteran and former Home Minister welcomed the development saying the “arbitrary and unconstitutional decisions taken on August 5, 2019, should be rescinded”.

Parliament had on the given day scrapped Article 370 which have special constitutional status to J&K and passed a Bill bifurcating the state into UTs of J&K and Ladakh.

“The Congress resolutely stands for the restoration of the status and rights of the people of J&K. The arbitrary and unconstitutional decisions of the Modi government of August 5, 2019, must be rescinded,” said former Home Minister P Chidambaram.

He said the coming together of mainstream regional parties of J&K to fight a constitutional battle to restore the rights of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh was a development that must be welcomed by all the people of India

“The Central government must stop looking at the mainstream parties and the people of J&K as secessionist or anti-national,” he said.