The Way Modi Govt Scrapped Article 370 is ‘Constitutionally Questionable’: Salman Khurshid

Salman Khurshid slammed the BJP government for the way they conducted the proceeding of the removal of Article 370.

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Monday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government for proceeding with the abrogation of Article 370 without gaining consensus and called it “constitutionally questionable”.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Khurshid said, “Today BJP decides to do away with Article 370. If they have something better than 370 that meets the objective of integrating Kashmir even more closely with India, nobody would have objection, the way in which they have done it, is constitutionally questionable.”

Attacking the Centre and questioning the manner in which they led with the resolution, the Congress leader said, “Not quite sure politically it’s very wise unless you come with something an adequate or improved alternative, so that our joint and the national consensus that Kashmir is an integral part and we strengthened this proposition. We don’t think BJP has shown anything of that kind yet.”

Earlier, Khurshid had commented on Pakistan’s decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India calling it “short-sighted”.

“In these times it is important to maintain bilateral ties and the decision (of Pakistan) is very short-sighted and it is not going to make any difference to India,” Khurshid had told reporters during the book release of ‘India’s Lost Frontier- The story of Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan‘.

The BJP-led government scrapped Article 370 from the Indian Constitution on August 5 withdrawing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, at the same time, reorganising the state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.