Article 370 In Jammu And Kashmir Was Never Intended To Be Forever

Shashi Tharoor said that Article 370 was never intended to be forever in Jammu and Kashmir but added that people of the border state should have been consulted before scrapping the special status. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said that Article 370 was never intended to be forever in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking to The Indian Express, Tharoor, however, questioned that manner in which the Modi government scrapped Article 370, adding that it was an assault on democratic values.

When asked about confusion in the Congress over his party’s stand on Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, he said that there should be no confusion because the grand old party is not defending it for all time. Stating that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, he said, There has been confusion about whether we are defending (Article) 370 for all time. The answer is no. He added that even Jawaharlal Nehru said that 370 needs to stay as long as it needs to stay but doesn’t have to stay forever. “But the way in which this action was undertaken was a violation of the spirit of the Constitution,” Tharoor opined.