Twitter
Advertisement

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar bats for Article 35 A

Under Article 35A, Indian citizens, other than the state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir, cannot acquire immovable property, get state government jobs, avail state-sponsored scholarship schemes or have the voting rights in the militancy infested state.

Latest News
article-main
Mani Shankar Aiyar
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Amid tensions in a run-up to the Article 35A hearing in the Supreme Court, newly reinstated Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar batted for the retention of state subject law in the Indian Constitution and hoped that the apex court would decide the case in national interest.

"This issue should not be touched. Article 35A is in the Constitution. Nobody should even attempt to remove this Article. This issue is being whipped up unnecessarily. Whipping up (passions) is not in anyone's interest," Aiyar said.

"I hope Supreme Court will decide the matter in the interest of country. I wish 35A should stay in the Constitution so that the people in J&K do not fear that their rights of last 90 years are being snatched," said Aiyar.

Under Article 35A, Indian citizens, other than the state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir, cannot acquire immovable property, get state government jobs, avail state-sponsored scholarship schemes or have the voting rights in the militancy infested state.

Charu Wali Khanna, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir married to non-Kashmiri and settled outside the state and other NGOs including `We the Citizens' have challenged the legality of the Article 35 A in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is resuming the hearing on the matter on August 31.

Tensions have been mounting in Kashmir in a run up to the hearing on the Article 35 A in the apex court. Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) of separatists have called for two days shutdown from August 30 and asked people to remain ready for agitation in case the Article 35 A is struck down.

JRL is a conglomerate of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who spearheaded the 2016 unrest in Kashmir.

"Any sort of tempering with the State Subject Law will invite serious repercussions. People of entire State will fight with full resilience to ensure that no power succeeds in snatching the citizenship rights from the people of Jammu and Kashmir", said a spokesman of Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Hurriyat spokesman noted that employing such ploys clarifies yet again that Delhi's intentions towards the people of Kashmir are not good. "Government of India wants to use its courts and military might to force people of J&K into a submission", he said.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement