If Art 370, 35A are temporary, so is J&K's accession to India: Farooq Abdullah

NC chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said those saying Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution were supposed to be temporary are "wittingly or unwittingly affirming" that J&K's accession to India too was "temporary".

The former Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister asserted that people were unfazed by the threats of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) combine on scrapping the articles which provide special status to the state.

The National Conference (NC) chief also backed his son and party vice-president Omar Abdullah's comments on Monday that the NC would seek restoration of terms of accession of the state, including the provision for 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' and prime minister posts.

The senior Abdullah said those who created a ruckus about assertions of his son were "unqualified and untaught" about historical facts. 

"It was our party who after Maharaja Hari Singh executed accession with the Union of India, sought unimpeachable constitutional safe guards for our state under the Delhi agreement," he said at a public gathering at Madar-e-Maharban stadium in Ganderbal district in central Kashmir.

"Our party has always sought restoration of the relation of our state with the Union of India on the original terms of accession, which only gave three subjects of communication, defense and foreign affairs to the union, rest the Maharaja gave



everything to the people of the state," Abdullah added.

The former Union minister said the people of Kashmir "will not be fazed or frightened by the threats of BJP-RSS".

"We will continue to seek our rights that were infringed upon… Those who are saying article 370 and article 35A are temporary are wittingly or unwittingly affirming that the accession was also temporary," he said. 

Former Prime Minister P V Narsimha Rao in a televised address in Burkina Faso, in Africa, had approved of having 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' and prime minister for the state, claimed the NC president.

"He (Rao) has on record said that 'as far as giving autonomy to the state of J-K is concerned, sky is the limit'. When he came back, I asked him that much of special status has been eroded since 1953, to which he answered that once in government, the forum of assembly should be used to undo the erosions," Abdullah said.

He said after coming to power in 1996, the Government got the autonomy resolution passed with a huge majority in the State legislature.

"Those who say that the resolution was cast out are wrong, the documents are still with the Union Government and one day the Centre has to implement it. There is no other way peace can return to the state until autonomy of the state is restored," he said.