Abrogation of Article 370 is 'boldest decision' taken by any government since Independence, says Biplab Kumar Deb

Agartala: Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir gave rise to extremism and terrorism in the country, Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has said, insisting that the abrogation of its provisions is the “boldest decision” taken by any government after Independence. [caption id=“attachment_7125891” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Biplab Kumar Deb. ANI[/caption] The BJP government, with this “historic” move, has fulfilled the “long-cherished dream of Syama Prasad Mookerji”, Deb said on Tuesday night outside party headquarters. Mookerji is the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP. “If Kashmir can enjoy special status, why cannot others enjoy the same status? With the scrapping of the provisions of Article 370, a new chapter in history has begun”, Deb said. Congratulating Union home minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in Parliament, Deb, who is also the state unit president of the BJP, observed that “rules cannot be different for people living in the same country”. “Article 370 in Kashmir had given rise to extremism and terrorism in the country. Its abrogation is the boldest decision taken by any government after Independence”, he said. Lambasting the Congress, the chief minister claimed that Jammu and Kashmir was accorded the special provisions to serve the interests of those close to the Nehru family. “Whatever happened in Kashmir happened in accordance with the wish of three families who were close to the Nehru family”, Deb said without taking names. Shah had on Monday said that the rule of three families in J&K during their 70 years since independence did not allow democracy to percolate, and bred corruption. Taking advantage of the special provisions, several corrupt people escaped investigations, the chief minister said. “Many corruption cases could not be investigated as people there had no right to information. With the scrapping of the special provisions, the long-cherished dream of Syama Prasad Mookerji - ‘Ek desh, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan aur Ek Nishan’ - has come true”, he added. The BJP-led government’s bold move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the border state into two union territories secured Parliament’s approval on Tuesday with the Lok Sabha passing the new measures with an over two-thirds majority. The Rajya Sabha had given its approval to the resolution the day before President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday announced that the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, have been abrogated.