“If Article 370 Was So Bad…”: Farooq Abdullah On PM’s “New Kashmir” Remark
Farooq Abdullah said, “If Article 370 and nepotism are responsible, then how did we make progress”
Farooq Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks regarding Article 370 of the constitution, stating that it had facilitated dynastic rule in the region. “If Article 370 was as detrimental as claimed, how did Jammu and Kashmir ever witness progress?” he queried.
PM Modi, during his inaugural visit to Srinagar since the revocation of Article 370, hailed it as the dawn of a “new Jammu and Kashmir,” resulting from the abrogation of the state’s special status.
“For decades, for political expediency, Congress and its allies deceived the public in the guise of Article 370. However, today, there exists equal rights and opportunities for all. The truth is apparent to the people… they were misled… This is the new Jammu and Kashmir we have been awaiting,” he remarked.
In swift response, Farooq Abdullah, a three-time Chief Minister of the region, retaliated, citing an address made in the Rajya Sabha by the then Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad. “If Article 370 was truly detrimental, I urge the Prime Minister to revisit Ghulam Nabi Azad’s speech, where he juxtaposed the progress of Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir during the era of Article 370,” Abdullah stated.
He further argued, “If Article 370 and nepotism were indeed responsible, then how did we achieve such progress? Governance was in the hands of the people; I lost elections as a Chief Minister. So, where is the dynastic rule?” Abdullah highlighted a consistent narrative targeting dynastic rule in the Prime Minister’s speeches, echoed even in parliament.
Additionally, the former Chief Minister underscored the adverse impact of Article 370’s abrogation on education accessibility. “Previously, education, from primary schools to universities, was free of cost. Today, education is only subsidized up to the 14th class. University education now demands payment. An impartial commission must assess the educational scenario pre and post-revocation of Article 370,” Abdullah emphasized.