New Delhi: The issue of Article 370 has sparked a fresh political controversy for Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. The party faces criticism from its allies and adversaries alike after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appeared to take a step back from earlier demands to restore the region’s special constitutional status.
Adding to the turmoil, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hameed Karra stated that the resolution passed by the assembly last week did not include any mention of Article 370, let alone a call for its reinstatement. This has intensified the divide within the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance, while also drawing sharp questions from other political parties, including Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
National Conference MP’s warning to Congress
National Conference (NC) MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi accused Congress of misinterpreting the resolution passed by the assembly, which, according to him, clearly seeks the restoration of all constitutional guarantees enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir before 1953, including Article 370 and Article 35A. Taking to social media platform X, Mehdi wrote, “No INC president or JKPCC president has the right to misinterpret the resolution. If anyone, including someone from within NC, misrepresents it, they will face rejection by the people, just as BJP’s allies were sidelined in the last election.”
Mehbooba Mufti also raised concerns about the lack of clarity in the assembly’s resolution, accusing both Congress and NC of creating confusion. She criticised NC for not explicitly addressing Article 370, despite having a mandate from the public based on this issue. The BJP wasted no time in attacking Congress, accusing it of political posturing and failing to take a definitive stand on Article 370. A BJP leader commented, “Congress is playing a double game. It doesn’t want to upset its national vote bank, so it avoids taking a clear position, despite being in an alliance with NC.”
‘Both Congress and BJP call Article 370 a closed chapter’
The Democratic Progressive Azad Party leader Salman Nizami also criticised the Congress-NC partnership, according to a Times of India report, stating, “Both Congress and BJP call Article 370 a closed chapter, yet Congress aligns with NC while maintaining cordial relations with BJP. This hypocrisy has exposed their fault lines.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stirred further debate when he criticised the BJP for “keeping the Article 370 issue alive” in public discourse. Speaking at a press conference in Pune, Kharge questioned, “If the abrogation of Article 370 was passed in Parliament, why is the BJP raking up this issue again during elections? Let them go to Kashmir and say this directly.”
