Shivraj Singh Chouhan Dares Congress, NC To Restore Article 370 In J&K: 'Rahul Gandhi Ki Saat Pidhiyan Bhi...'

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took aim at Opposition leaders Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference (NC) and Congress' Rahul Gandhi, declaring that "not even their generations can bring Article 370 back in Jammu and Kashmir," reported ANI.

During a rally in Jammu amidst the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Chouhan said, "Today, I want to say that 'Farooq Abdullah aur Rahul Gandhi ki saat pidhiyan (generations) bhi Article 370 nahi la sakti' (even the generations of Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi cannot bring back Article 370)... the BJP government is there."

Chouhan also accused the Congress-NC alliance of diverting attention from important issues like employment, food, education, health, and development.

"We say what we do. Our goal is to change the fate of the people, to bring happiness into your lives, to bring smiles to your faces, and for you to live your life in peace. But what are they saying? They are saying that if our government comes to power, we will abolish Article 370. Rahul Baba, even the NC leaders cannot abolish Article 370. Is this the issue, brothers and sisters? Our issue is employment, food, education, health, and development. They are leading us in the wrong direction," Chouhan said.

Opposition's Response

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, speaking at a rally in Sopore, said that the Opposition would push for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, calling it an injustice that the region had been downgraded to a Union Territory.

He said, "For the first time in history, a state has been downgraded to a union territory," and vowed that the INDIA bloc would fight to restore its statehood.

"We wanted that the statehood be restored before elections. All the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted the elections to take place after the restoration of the statehood. The first and foremost issue is regarding your statehood. Several UTs have been made states, and states have been bifurcated. But this is the first time in history that a state has been turned into a Union Territory. It did not happen, the first step is election. But after this, the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir has to be restored," Gandhi added.

Similarly, Farooq Abdullah reiterated on Monday that his party would continue to pursue legal action for the reinstatement of Article 370. He condemned the BJP's move, calling it a "unilateral" and "unjust" decision that had brought hardships to the people of the region.

Abdullah reaffirmed that the NC would advocate for Articles 370 and 35A in their manifesto.

In August 2019, the BJP government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status by abrogating Article 370, stripped it of its statehood, and divided it into two Union Territories.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections

The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being conducted in three phases. The second phase, held on Wednesday, saw a voter turnout of over 57% across 26 constituencies in six districts of the Union Territory.

The first phase, held on September 18, recorded a turnout of 61.13% across 24 constituencies in seven districts, as per the Election Commission.

Voting for the third phase is scheduled for October 1, with vote counting set to take place on October 8, coinciding with the counting of votes in Haryana.