Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his criticism of now-abrogated Article 370 which granted special status to the erstwhile state.
During his Kashmir visit on Thursday, PM Modi claimed Article 370 was used for political gains and only a few families took advantage of it.
"I am glad that PM visited Kashmir after five years. It is a moment of pride for all of us. This dynastic rule is a kind of common voice I heard also in the Parliament. In every speech that PM makes he makes a particular target on it. If Article 370 was so bad, I would like the Prime Minister to re-hear the speech made in the Rajya Sabha by the then Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad in which he compared two states. He compared Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir in terms of progress when Article 370 was there," said Abdullah on Thursday as quoted by news agency ANI.
Criticising PM Modi over his tirade against dynastic rule and his claims of the rise of a "new Jammu and Kashmir" after the abrogation of the now-scrapped constitutional provision, Abdullah said, “Now, if Article 370 and nepotism are responsible, then how did we make that progress? It is the people's rule, I lost the election as a chief minister. So, where is the dynastic rule?”
{{/usCountry}}Criticising PM Modi over his tirade against dynastic rule and his claims of the rise of a "new Jammu and Kashmir" after the abrogation of the now-scrapped constitutional provision, Abdullah said, “Now, if Article 370 and nepotism are responsible, then how did we make that progress? It is the people's rule, I lost the election as a chief minister. So, where is the dynastic rule?”
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What PM Modi had said
In his maiden visit to Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 by his government in 2019, PM Modi addressed a public rally in Srinagar's Bakshi stadium on Thursday.
"For decades, for political gains, Congress and its allies misled the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the name of 370 and misled the country. Did Jammu and Kashmir benefit from Article 370 or were only a few political families taking advantage of it? The people of Jammu and Kashmir have come to know the truth that they were misled. Jammu and Kashmir was kept in chains for the benefit of a few families," said the Prime Minister.
"Today there is no Article 370, hence the talent of the youth of J&K is being fully respected and they are getting new opportunities. Today there are equal rights and equal opportunities for everyone here," he added.