Srinagar: The National Conference won three of the six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, with the cornerstone of its campaign being the demand for special status for the state. Now, one of its new MPs plans to take up the cause of protecting Articles 35A and 370 beyond the Kashmir Valley.
Former Jammu & Kashmir High Court judge Hasnain Masoodi, who ruled in October 2015 that Article 370 is “permanent”, told ThePrint that he plans to approach political parties from across the country, especially those that are part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), about this key issue.
Articles 35A and 370 have been major talking points over the past couple of years, with many BJP leaders asking for their abrogation, especially during election season.
However, the 65-year-old Masoodi, who defeated Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti to become MP from the Anantnag seat, said he would approach the parties in his own capacity as an MP from Kashmir to prevent the abrogation of these articles.
“There are good people in the NDA who don’t agree with this kind of narrative. My idea would be to approach these people, who could dissuade the government from taking a harsh decision with regards to Kashmir,” said Masoodi.
He made special mention of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who has been an important ally of the BJP since his Janata Dal (United) rejoined the NDA in 2017.
“We want to target important political forces in the country. One fine example is Nitish Kumar and his JD(U). If he tells something to Prime Minister Modi, that surely will have an effect,” said Masoodi.
It won’t just be NDA parties, either. Masoodi said he would also reach out to UPA constituents as well as others like the Left parties.
“We will be talking to the CPI(M) and CPI as well. All this will obviously happen outside Parliament. Within Parliament, I plan to defend the special status of our state with all my might,” Masoodi said.
Growing clamour
The calls for abrogation of Articles 35A and 370 as well as the protection of J&K’s special status took centrestage in the 2019 election campaign. The BJP, in its manifesto, promised the abrogation of Article 370 if it retained power in the Lok Sabha polls.
In the run up to the polls, PM Modi on several occasions said Article 35A was hindering the development of Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequent statements by BJP leaders resulted in strained relations between New Delhi and Kashmir-based parties.
J&K’s mainstream political parties fought the polls on these issues, with National Conference vice-president and former J&K CM Omar Abdullah stating that India’s relationship with J&K would be over if Article 35A was scrapped.
Mehbooba Mufti and People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone, who were part of the BJP-PDP government in the state until June last year, issued statements in defence of Article 35A. Eventually, the BJP managed to win three seats — two in the Jammu division and one in the Ladakh division, while the NC swept the three seats in the Kashmir division.
Also read: Tinkering with Article 370 or 35A will be disastrous for Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah
‘History, law & Constitution on our side’
Masoodi now seems keen to pick up the conversation where it was left during the election campaign.
“In a House that has 542 members, you may not get enough opportunity to say whatever is on our minds. So I take Delhi itself as a platform to interact with the people who matter — opinion-makers or whose views are heard with all seriousness,” he said.
Lok Sabha has 543 elected members, but one poll — to the Vellore Parliamentary seat — was cancelled in April by the Election Commission after a massive cash haul.
“The best thing about our cause, that is protection of special status and integrity of our state, is that history, law and the Constitution are on our side. So, it becomes easier for a parliamentarian to articulate the view point. Our strategy is now to articulate this viewpoint within and outside Parliament,” said Masoodi.
“This is what I think we should do next. I don’t know how my party plans to take things forward, but I have my own mandate and will go forward with the plan,” he added.
“We are not against anyone in the political spectrum and landscape. We are only against the sentiments of those who are openly and brazenly putting forward their anti-Kashmir agenda.”
Other parties’ response to the issue
Asked about the issue, senior PDP leader and spokesperson Rafi Mir said his party had been at the forefront of defending Kashmir’s special status.
“I am not aware of what they (NC) plan to do, but we have always stood for Article 35A. When we were in government, we defended it in the courts. So, we have put up resistance to protect it in Kashmir and beyond,” Mir said.
However, Jammu & Kashmir BJP general secretary Ashok Kaul, insisted that the two articles “should and will” be abrogated.
“Our stand has been consistent. Article 35A and 370 should and will go. The articles have been invented only to create problems,” Kaul said.
Also read: The scars of Burhan Wani & PDP-BJP tie-up: What kept south Kashmir away from voting
Majority of NDA voters want 370 and 35A to go immediately. Amit Shah would be on test in coming months to fulfill BJP’s promise for removing 370 and 35A so that J&K can be fully integrated with India and J&K start attracting investment.. This time it would be suicidal for NDA not to scrap 370 and 35A.