Article 370 will always be there: Farooq Abdullah

New and Renewable Energy minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday hit out at Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for demanding a public debate on Article 370 that accords a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and asserted that Article 370 cannot be annulled by anyone.

“Be it Modi or anyone who comes after him, they cannot remove Article 370. It will always be there,” he told media here today

“I feel sad for the BJP. Sometimes they say they will build a temple. They couldn’t build it till date. Now they say they want to remove Article 370. They cannot remove it. Whom are they trying to fool?” he asked

Abdullah took a jibe at Narendra Modi, and said that if he is aiming to become the prime minister, he has to keep the country united

Modi had said at his 'Lalkar' rally in Jammu on Sunday that there should be a thorough debate on the issue of Article 370, which gives special and autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He also made a reference to India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, saying: "Nehru had said that in the future, the importance of Article 370 will fade out,"