National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah Friday said Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s argument justifying the use of Article 356 of the Constitution to extend President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir is “unacceptable”.
His remarks came after Shah moved a statutory resolution inthe Lok Sabha to extend President’s Rule in the state for another six months witheffect from July 3.
Later, replying to a debate in the House over theresolution, the minister hit out at the Congress, saying so far Article 356(President’s Rule) has been imposed 132 times of which the opposition partyused it 93 times to dismiss state governments.
“So the Home Minister’s argument is that because theCongress has used Article 356 more times than anyone else the Modi governmentis justified in denying the people of J&K an elected government. That’s anunacceptable argument,” Abdullah wrote on Twitter.
Jammu and Kashmir does not have an elected dispensationsince the PDP-BJP coalition government fell apart in June 2018. Early thismonth, the Election Commission said it will announce the schedule of assemblypolls in the state after the Amarnath Yatra concludes. The pilgrimage, whichwill begin on July 1, will conclude on August 15.