Jammu, June 26: J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina today said that Article 370 has gone forever and it will never return.
Raina said the political parties should forget the special status of J&K and take part in the assembly elections whenever they are announced.
Speaking to the media here, Raina said: “Some politicians who are still dreaming about Article 370 should know that it is next to impossible, it will never return. The political parties should move forward leaving behind this chapter and contest assembly elections for the welfare of the people whenever they are announced.” Raina said the special status had given rise to separatism, militancy and pro-Pakistan ideology which was against the country.
“There was a political deadlock in J&K for the last over two years following the Reorganization Act of 2019. However, this deadlock has ended with the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all leaders of political parties attended the All-Party Meet in a cordial atmosphere where they presented their view point.”
In the meeting, he said, the Prime Minister appealed to the politicians to work for the unity and integrity of J&K as well as the country.
Condemning the political parties referring to Ladakh’s reunion with J&K, Raina said they should know that Ladakh and J&K are separate Union Territories following the Reorganization Act of 2019.
On a question of restoring Statehood to J&K, he said: “They discussed the restoration of Statehood during the All-Party Meet in which the Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed the participants that he had assured in the Parliament that Statehood will be restored with the normalization of the situation in J&K.”
Similarly, he said, the Prime Minister in his address to the nation had also referred to the restoration of Statehood.
He said the delimitation of assembly constituencies will be done under a set norm as per the constitutional provisions.
Earlier, he said, they demanded the constitution of an Apex Committee for the dignified return and rehabilitation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Muslims to Kashmir.
“We have requested the Government of India to constitute an Apex Committee so that a roadmap is prepared for their safe return,” he added.
He said that they have also raised issues of refugees (1947, 1965 and 1971) belonging to Pakistan Administered Kashmir and demanded de-freezing some of the assembly seats reserved for PaK.
“We will separately raise this issue with the Delimitation Commission, too,” he added, referring to the de-freezing of assembly seats.