BJP usurped constitutional, democratic rights of IIOJK people: Sadhotra
Jammu: Additional General Secretary of National Conference Ajay Kumar Sadhotra has denounced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for usurping the constitutional and democratic rights of the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir by unilaterally altering its constitutional and political position.
Ajay Kumar Sadhotra addressing a meeting of party workers in Jammu said the people of Kashmir have been deprived of their historic rights and safeguards through the decisions taken by the BJP-led Modi government in August 2019.
He said the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A and the subsequent reorganization of the territory had fundamentally reduced the historic Jammu and Kashmir to a Union Territory.
Referring to the historical background of State Subject laws, he said that Maharaja Hari Singh had introduced safeguards to protect the interests of the people of the territory, particularly their rights over land, employment and other matters.
He said that the State Subject regulations were rooted in the circumstances of the time and were intended to protect the interests of the people of all the regions of Jammu and Kashmir irrespective of religion or caste from economic and demographic pressures.
“The Maharaja had recognized the need to protect the legitimate interests of his subjects. These safeguards reflected the concerns of the people regarding their land, livelihood and future. With the passage of time, these arrangements acquired constitutional protection through the special constitutional position enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Sadhotra said the National Conference had consistently maintained that the rights and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir could not be addressed through unilateral decisions or by weakening democratic institutions.
He also criticized the continued delay in restoration of full statehood, saying the people had been waiting for the commitment repeatedly made by the BJP leadership. He said the restoration of statehood was not a concession to any political party but a democratic right of the people.
