Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday stated that the mainstream parties of J&K were more interested in bringing back Article 370, so that they could bring back their malpractices and corruption in the valley.
Prasad said that People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration has declared the restoration of Article 370 as its agenda. They do not want certain laws including the Prevention of Corruption Act in Jammu and Kashmir so that they can continue with corruption.
Farooq Abdullah has no compulsion in taking the help of China for the restoration of Article 370. Mehbooba Mufti also spoke on the same lines. She won’t unfurl the Indian flag until Kashmir flag is unfurled. This is their stance on it,” said Prasad.
“I need to remind the country about the benefits of the removal of Article 370. In the 5th schedule table 1, central laws will be imposed in the valley. Benami Act, Dowry Prohibition Act, Employment of Manual Scavengers have been brought in the valley. Juvenile Justice Act, Ponzi Scheme Act, Child Marriage Act, Protection of Child from Sexual Abuse have been brought. When you want this Article to be restored that means you are promoting corruption and you want whatever was prevailing in Kashmir before the act to continue. The SC/ST people were deprived of these acts, is what the opposition wants?” he asked.
Hitting out at the Congress party, Prasad questioned if the grand-old party was in turn also extending its support to Abdullah’s stance of seeking Chinese intervention, or Mufti’s stance of disregarding the Indian flag.
“I want to ask that Congress wants to push the valley into conservatism. You don’t want to protect the rights of the daughters of Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir has a bitter reality that the Muslim daughter who used to marry a person from Delhi or any other part of the country would be removed from the basic rights inherited by her family. Today, people can buy lands, settle down there peacefully. Is the Congress party going to support the restoration of Article 370? Congress needs to answer,” he said. ( India Today )
