New Delhi: Congress leader Salman Khurshid, while speaking in Indonesia, said that the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 brought Jammu and Kashmir’s problem of separatism, which went on for many years, to end. As a result, Khurshid opined that peace and prosperity prevailed in the region which used to be embroiled in chaos earlier.
Khurshid was speaking to Indonesian think tanks’ members and academia as part of an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation as part of Centre’s global outreach to highlight the importance of Operation Sindoor. He said that for a long time, Kashmir was a major problem. He added, “Much of that was reflected in the thinking of the government in an article called 370 of the Constitution, which somehow gave the impression that it was separate from the rest of the country. But Article 370 was abrogated and it was finally put to an end.”
To those uninitiated, the Indian Constitution’s Article 370 gave Jammu and Kashmir special status until the BJP-led NDA government revoked it in August 2019. Khurshid, part of the Sanjay Kumar Jha-led delegation, also said that after the abrogation of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed progress. As examples, he said, “Subsequently, there was an election with 65 per cent participation. There’s an elected government in Kashmir today, and therefore, for people to want to undo everything that has the prosperity that has come to Kashmir. It would not be advisable.”
Notably, in 2019, Khurshid described Article 370 as not a barrier but a bond that linked Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of India. He said, “The Article paved the way for J&K to remain within India. The state was not just the land or its people. It was an idea, within the idea of India.” Over the years, both his and Congress’ stance have changed when it comes to the abrogation of Article 370.
