Tuesday 21st Jul, 2026
Srinagar, Mar 29: (UNI) Cautioning BJP that any debate on Article 370 and Article 35-A will also raise questions on the state’s accession to India, National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah said that Jammu and Kashmir is not the only state in the country that has special status and identity.
Lashing out at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over his statement that Article 35-A is responsible for poverty in J&K, Mr Abdullah said it was not the special status, but militancy that damaged the economy of Kashmir.
“If you want to debate Article 370 and Article 35-A, you do it. But at the same time questions will also be raised on the accession (of J&K to India). Because accession happened on these terms… you can’t debate on the terms and conditions and at the same time say that no talks can be held on accession,” Mr Abdullah, who is the former chief minister of J&K, told reporters during a press conference here on Friday.
“How can you say that the then Maharaja would have acceded to India if the special status was not given to J&K? Accession was on the bases of a negotiated settlement between the Maharaja and the Union of India… and where in the document is it written that the special status is time bound,” Mr Abdullah asked.
Mr Abdullah said the statement given by Mr Jaitley that the state is poor because of Article 35-A, is completely incorrect. “I guess that he doesn’t know… or he was not informed that such issues didn’t confront the state before militancy. If the state has been effected, it is not because of Articles 35-A, it is because of militancy,” he said.
The NC Vice President said J&K was among the fastest growing states in the country before 1989. “Our state GDP was comparable with the GDP of other states. All the leading companies had their units in Kashmir. What changed? Articles 35-A has been a part of the state even before independence,” he added.
Mr Abdullah said the upcoming Parliamentary election and Assembly polls will be important to save the special status of the state. “People not only have to fight BJP, but its proxies,” he added.
Hitting out at the centre, he said the state would have grown many folds had the BJP-led government in the centre and PDP-BJP government kept the situation as it was in 2014.
Upping the ante at BJP for allegedly attempting diluting the special state of J&K, Mr Abdullah, “First of all, let me make this thing very clear that J&K is not the only state in this country with special status. North East, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar or Lakshadweep have special statuses and their own identity under the same Indian constitution.”
“Why is it always that Jammu and Kashmir has to face the onslaught of these rightwing parties,” he asked.
“When there are attacks, it is on Article 370 and Article 35 A. A wrong impression is being created the special status is only for J&K in general and Kashmiri Muslims in particular,” he said.
He said, however, the fact of the matter is that the special status of the state not only protects Kashmir, but Jammu and Ladakh as well.
“The truth is that if you speak to the people of Jammu and Ladakh, keeping political aside, they also don’t want that Article 35 A should be revoked. I can say this with authority because NC is represented in all the lengths and breadths of the state,” he said.
Is clear that till the time J&K is part of the country, it will have the special status promised to it, he added.
“We have been saying from a very long time that the special status of Jammu and Kashmir is under threat. This threat is not new, but since the BJP government came into power in 2015 this threat has amplified… and we don’t have to give any evidence to prove it as the Finance Minister of the Country Arun Jaitley through a blog made the intensions of his government and his party clear not only to the country, but to the entire world. This clearly indicates that the intension of BJP government is not right,” he said.
“I know, what every we say we can’t change the ideology of the BJP. But at least they should have presented the truth in front of the people so that we could have initiated a debate on the issue. The issue was twisted and a false impression was being created that J&K is lagging behind because of its special status… that if J&K didn’t have the special status, it would have grown many folds as a state. And our people are unemployed because of the special status,” he alleged.
“How can you expect a hotelier to come to Kashmir, when the Governor of a state himself advocates for boycotting the state. At that time there was no reaction to the boycott call from Mr Jaitley,” he said.
Hitting out at the previous Mehbooba-led government, he said the PDP-BJP government was not serious to save Article 35-A. “The reply on Article 35-A was still lying in the State Law department. But it was not properly presented in the Supreme Court. The case to save Article 35-A is very strong if it is presented properly,” he said.