Unveiling the manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Amit Shah has ruled out the restoration of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state, and said the provision has now “become history”. 

The restoration of Article 370, which was abrogated in 2019, has been promised in the manifesto released by the National Conference, which is contesting the elections in an alliance with the Congress. The Assembly polls will be the first since 2014 and are also being keenly watched to gauge how the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel about the removal of the provision.

New Delhi:

Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday fired 10 questions at the Congress after the party said it had all but agreed an alliance with the National Conference for next month’s Jammu and Kashmir election.

In a post on X Mr Shah raged that the Congress – which “played with the unity and security of the country in its greed for power” in the past – had “once again put itself before the country”. He also questioned the Congress over promises made by the National Conference in its manifesto, including a promise to encourage dialogue between with Pakistan and restoration of the J&K flag.

Of course, the red flag, as far as the BJP was concerned, was the National Conference saying it would “strive to restore 370 – 35A (referring to Article 370 and Article 35A, which guaranteed special status to J&K and special rights to ‘permanent residents’ of J&K) and statehood as prior to August 2019”.

The 10 questions for the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, who was in Srinagar Thursday and claimed “blood” ties with the people of J&K, included jabs over the party’s “support (for) the era of terrorism”.

Mr Shah’s 10 questions:

1. Does Congress support National Conference’s promise of a separate flag for J&K again?
2. Do Rahul Gandhi and Congress support the National Conference’s decision to push J&K back into an era of unrest and terrorism by bringing back Article 370 and Article 35A?
3. Does the Congress support promoting separatism by talking to Pak in exchange for Kashmir’s youth?
4. Do Congress and Rahul Gandhi support nurturing terrorism and its ecosystem across the border (as a result) of the NC’s decision to start trade (across the LoC) with Pakistan?
5. Does Congress support bringing back the era of terrorism and shutdowns by reinstating to government posts family members of those involved in terrorism and stone-pelting?
6. This alliance has brought forth anti-reservation face of Congress. Is the party with NC’s promise to do injustice to Dalits, Gujjars, Bakarwals, and Paharis by ending reservation?
7. Does Congress want Shankaracharya Parvat (a temple on a hill overlooking Srinagar and dedicated to Lord Shiva) – to be Takht-e-Suliman, and Hari Parvat as Koh-e-Maran?
8. Does the Congress support handing over the J&K economy to a handful of Pakistan-backed families by once again throwing it into the fire of corruption?
9. Does Congress support NC’s politics of discrimination between Jammu and the Valley?
10. Do Congress and Rahul Gandhi support NC’s divisive thinking of autonomy to Kashmir?

The Congress party, which has repeatedly risked the nation’s unity and security to satiate its greed for power, has once again exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family’s ‘National Conference’ in the Jammu and Kashmir elections.

Given the promises made in… pic.twitter.com/omxj3xOdP3

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2024

On Thursday, after a meeting between Mr Gandhi and NC boss Farooq Abdullah at the latter’s home in Srinagar, sources told NDTV the broad strokes of a deal – for all 90 seats – had been agreed.

“We had a good meeting, in a cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track, it is final… it will go smoothly. It will be signed and is on all 90 seats,” Mr Abdullah, a former Chief Minister, said.

READ | Congress-National Conference J&K Tie-Up Done But Issues Over Seats

This is the first Congress-NC alliance in J&K since 1987. The two are, however, part of the INDIA bloc that was led by the Congress and put up a strong showing in the April-June Lok Sabha election. The NC won two of J&K’s five seats, while the BJP got the other two and an independent the fifth.

READ | Restoration Of J&K Statehood Is Focus Of National Conference’s Manifesto

As far as the opposition is concerned, sources said the successful meeting between Mr Abdullah and Mr Gandhi underlined their intention – that despite some differences, both parties want this alliance.

READ | J&K To Vote In 3 Phases, 1st State Poll Since Article 370 Was Scrapped

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election will be held in three phases – on September 18 and 25, and on October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4.

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Srinagar:

The National Conference, the Peoples Democratic Party, the Congress, and Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party have called for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which is under President’s Rule and has not had a state poll for six years now.

This comes amid reports the Election Commission of India – a poll panel team began its two-day visit Monday to review prep work before announcing dates – is considering such a move.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and that of Ladakh, will hold a general election for its six Lok Sabha seats in April/May and is expected to hold Assembly polls – the first step in restoration of statehood – by September 30, as ordered by the Supreme Court.

READ | In Historic J&K Ruling, Supreme Court Sets Election Deadline

Senior NC leader Nasir Sogami and former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad – part of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ commission set up by the government to explore that possibility – have spoken out, with the latter claiming “people are more concerned about Assembly polls”.

“I am in favour of simultaneous elections in J&K .I want elections by midnight. The people of J&K are more concerned about assembly elections than parliament elections,” Mr Azad said.

Mr Azad is likely to contest the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat, which is currently held by Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference. The seat has traditionally flipped between the Peoples Democratic Party of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and the NC.

“I’m not ruling out contesting from Anantnag-Rajouri parliament constituency. Lots of people are asking me to contest. Demand of my being in Parliament is more,” he told NDTV.

Mr Sogami – who spoke to NDTV after the NC met a team from the Election Commission of India – said the NC had also demanded simultaneous elections in the union territory.

“This (simultaneous polls) is also in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of ‘One Nation, One Election’,” he said, adding the NC had also said state polls are long overdue.

The National Conference also demanded a level playing field for both polls.

On Monday the poll panel team, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, met representatives from political parties. The ECI has already met Union Home Ministry officials.

The centre has already sanctioned the deployment of 600 paramilitary companies to ensure the safe conduct of elections in J&K; this is in addition to sizeable existing security set-ups.

A BJP delegation also met the poll panel team, and said the party is ready for Assembly polls. However, the party left announcement of dates to the discretion of the Election Commission.

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