Modi Dares Opposition To Declare Bringing Back Art 370 In Manifesto

STEPPING up attack on the Congress and NCP over the abrogation of Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dared them to declare in their manifesto that they will bring back the provisions which gave Special Status to Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing his first rally ahead of the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Modi said Jammu and Kashmir was “not just a parcel of land, but the crown of India”, and assured it will not take more than four months to normalize the kind of situation that prevailed there for 40 years.

He accused the Opposition parties of politicizing the issue of Article 370 and charged them with “speaking on the same lines as that of the neighboring country”. The Prime Minister lavished praise on the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra Government for its five-year performance, which he said, was “corruption-free” and inspired confidence among all, including farmers and industries. Attacking the Congress and NCP, Modi said it was “unfortunate” that they were “politicizing” the “unprecedented” decision of scrapping of Article 370. Their leaders thought exactly the opposite of what the entire nation feels about Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

“You look at the statements made by Congress, NCP of late…They seem to be speaking one line of the neighboring country,” Modi said, without naming the leaders as he apparently referred to Pakistan. Accusing the Opposition leaders of shedding crocodile tears on the issue of Article 370, he said, “I challenge them, if they have guts, declare in their manifesto for State election and future polls too, that they will bring back Article 370 and 35A, which the BJP, the Modi Government scrapped…That they will change the August 5 decision.” “Stop shedding these crocodile tears,” Modi told the Opposition parties. Wondering whether bringing back Article 370 will be acceptable to people, he said the Opposition parties will have no future if they were to do so. Hailing the move, Modi said earlier it was “unthinkable” that such a decision (of abrogating the Article) could be taken, and noted that only separatism and terrorism spread in Jammu and Kashmir over the years.