In a shocking incident, the National Conference leader Javed Rana has threatened that if any alteration is made to Article 35A or abolishing Article 370 from the Constitution of India, he will not allow hoisting the national flag in Kashmir.
If any alteration is made in Article 35A or if Section 370 is abolished, then the Indian flag will not be seen here(Kashmir): Javed Rana, National Conference MLA (31.07.18) pic.twitter.com/S8ivi9CujA
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2018
Javed Rana while addressing his supporters in his constituency Mendhar said, “Through the media, I want to request the Prime Minister that if they scrap article 35-A or Article 370, then India’s flag will not be unfurled here”. He further said that, “It is only because of Article 370 that we are connected to this country, if they scrap article 370 then our relations with India automatically ends”.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_7jeXip4AI?start=120]
Javed Rana, MLA from Omar Abdullah’s National Conference is not new to controversies. Recently, he had stoked a controversy when he said that the government agencies were behind the attack on the school bus by the stone pelters in Shopian district of the Jammu and Kashmir.
In the past, he had challenged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hoist the tricolour in the Lahore. He is known to be a controversial person, as he had abused the security forces in the past.
Article 35A and Article 370 are two controversial constitutional provisions providing certain benefits to the people residing in the state. Article 35A is a provision inserted into the Indian Constitution in 1954 by the then Prime Minister Nehru, which provides the Jammu and Kashmir legislature to decide who all are ‘permanent residents’ of the State and confer on them special rights and privileges in public sector jobs, acquisition of property in the State, scholarships and other public aid and welfare.
However, Article 370, a ‘temporary’ provision distinguishes the state of Jammu and Kashmir from other states of the country by providing special autonomy in the functioning of the state. Most of the constitutional provisions which are applicable for other states are not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.
Interestingly, the CPI-M is also backing the proposal of Article 35A remaining in the constitution. They have filed a petition and requested the Supreme Court to intervene regarding Article 35A of the Constitution. “Article 35A is very much necessary to prevent further alienation of Kashmiri people from India,” a party spokesperson said in a statement.
