Will work towards removing Art. 370 when we've numbers in Par'l: BJP

BJP today said that the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution continues to be part of the party's core ideology and it will work in that direction whenever it garners the required numbers in Parliament.

"As far as the abrogation of Article 370 is concerned, it continues to be part of the core ideology of BJP but right now we don't have enough numbers in Parliament to do away with it, but in future when we have the required numbers we will work towards its removal," BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here today.

Repealing Article 370, which grants special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, would require a two-third majority in Parliament as the Constitution would have to be amended.

Patra said BJP and PDP are ideologically different but both the parties came together to provide a stable government to the people of the state and for the sake of development.
"People here want development, the coalition has provided a historic opportunity, respecting the mandate of the people of all the three regions, now it should become a successful experiment for the sake of good governance and development," he said.
Patra said "small controversies" do crop up when the coalition partners have differences in their core ideology but the Jammu and Kashmir government was being guided by the common minimum programme agreed upon by the two parties in the form of agenda for alliance.

Accusing Congress of running a disinformation campaign against the Narendra Modi government, the BJP spokesperson said it was during the UPA tenure that major corporations were being benefited whereas the current government was working for the welfare of the poor.

"The UPA government, led by Congress, gave away coal blocks and spectrum to benefit these corporate houses, but the current government has benefited by selling the same to these corporate and the money is being used for the welfare of the poor," he said.

Slamming the Congress for "making an issue" out of Modi's foreign visits, Patra said India has achieved a lot because of the tours whereas during the foreign tours of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh nobody noticed any achievements.

"You see the investments Prime Minister Modi has brought to this country... Earlier, nobody noticed when Indian Prime Minister visited a country, now every country is ready to welcome our PM," Patra said.

He said the BJP government cannot be soft with terrorism and it was this government which has issued instructions to the security forces to give a "befitting reply" to the Pakistani aggression on the line of control.

"Pakistan is a failed state, a sponsor of terrorism... Modi government has given instructions to the security forces to reply a bullet being fired on the line of control with a bomb," he said.

Defending the statement of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that terrorists would be used to fight terrorists, Patra said it was a strategic statement and India would never support terrorism of any form.

On the issue of ongoing power tussle between Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Patra said the CM did not show maturity in handling the situation.

"He openly accused a senior most bureaucrat at a public function which was an immature thing to do," he said.

On issuance of passport to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, he said passport can only be issued to the person who declares his nationality in the application form.
On the issue of the appointment of CVC, the BJP spokesperson said the issue was in the court and that the court has now granted permission for the appointment and the process was on.