Congress leaders voice different views on Article 370

Chandigarh: The Congress party has opposed abrogation of Article 370 in Parliament. However, its state leaders are singing different tunes on the issue much to the chagrin of the party. Even as Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has toed the line of central leadership and called the abrogation as unconstitutional, the former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has welcomed the decision. The state is going to have Assembly election in October. Similarly, in Himachal the Congress MLA Vikaramditya Singh, son of six-time chief minister Virbadhra Singh has also welcomed the decision.

First amongst the Congress state leaders, Captain Amarinder Singh flayed the manner in which the Centre had imposed its decision on Kashmir, saying the democratic fabric of the nation had been ripped apart with this unprecedented violation of the constitutional norms.

“It is a dark day for the Indian democracy,” said Captain Amarinder, adding that the Constitution of India had been rewritten without following any legal provisions. Such a historic decision should not have been taken and pushed through in this arbitrary manner, he said.

He even said that the Union government had made a total mockery of the constitutional and democratic foundations of the nation. Dubbing the Centre’s act of putting political leaders in Kashmir under house arrest ahead of the announcement as despotic, he said the voice of the people had been completely suppressed, which could have serious repercussions for India.

Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda has taken a diametrically opposite view. With Assembly elections staring in the face, Mr Hooda and the Congress MLAs owing allegiance to him in Haryana have supported the abrogation of Article 370.

 “I supported the resolution in the Vidhan Sabha. I welcome the decision taken by the Central. But in doing so, the BJP has fulfilled only one of its pre-poll promises. I asked the government to also offer a reply on what they are going to do about the other 154 promises,” Mr Hooda said.

Hooda’s son and former Rohtak MP had also tweeted that he was always of the view that Article 370 does not have any relevance in the 21st century and it should be removed.

Deepender Hooda further said that the decision was in national interest as well as in the interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir which is an integral part of the country.

Similarly, Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh, the son of six-time Himachal chief minister Virbadhra Singh, has also supported the Union government by endorsing the decision. He said through a Facebook post, “We welcome the decision of the Central government to abrogate Article 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution. India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is paramount. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India though instead of a Union Territory, they should have allowed it to remain a state without any special privileges like all other states of the Union.”

With there being utter confusion in the Congress over the stand to be adopted on scrapping of Article 370, senior leaders made themselves inaccessible to the media seeking their reaction.