BJP terms Farooq Abdullah’s statement on Article 370 'seditious and anti-India'

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 12

The BJP on Monday slammed NC leader Farooq Abdullah for his latest statement on Article 370 of the Constitution, terming it seditious and anti-India.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said it was sad that an elected MP was “using this kind of language against the country”.

“According to Abdullah, abrogation of Indian Parliament irked and disturbed China, that’s why China is justified for aggression (against India). In a way by making the anti-national statement he is justifying the Chinese aggression.

“He is saying that with the help of China we will bring back Article 370. How can a sitting MP say this? If you have reservations against any decision of the Parliament you are free to express them but to say what Farooq Abdullah has said is absolutely seditious,” he said.

Notably, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said he wished that with China’s support, Article 370 of the Constitution, which conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir, will be restored.

In an interview, Abdullah noted that China was not happy with the nullification of Article 370, which was scrapped in August last year by Parliament.

“As far as China is concerned, I didn’t bring (the) Chinese president here. Our prime minister invited him to Gujarat and even did jhoola sawari with him. He (PM Modi) even took him to Chennai and had food with him,” Abdullah said amid the five-month-long LAC standoff between India and China in Ladakh.

Calling Abdullah a repeat offender, Patra said this is not the first time he has made such statements.

“On September 24 he said if you ask people of J&K whether they are from India they will say no,” Patra said, calling his statements a question mark on India’s Independence and sovereignty.

“The same Abdullah said the POK doesn’t belong to your father that you can take it back,” he said

Claiming that the same soft corner for Pakistan and China is prevalent in Congress as well, Patra said: “There is no difference between Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi, they are the faces of the same coin. They praise other countries and criticise PM of our country.”

Patra also said the entire country also wants to know when Rahul “who had fallen then (in UP), will get up and walk towards Rajasthan where atrocities against women are being committed”.

Also slamming the Congress for attack against a woman leader, Tara Yadav, in UP, Patra claimed Rahul “lied that the police pushed and he fell down (in UP while trying to move towards Hathras). Everyone saw he fell down himself”, he said.