West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that before the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, she had received a call from a former J-K Chief Minister. However, she added that it's unfortunate that she could not stand in solidarity with them.
"A day before everything happened, one of the former Chief Ministers called me saying, 'We are very scared, will you stand with us if we face any trouble?' It's unfortunate that I couldn't stand in solidarity with them. Though not physically, our mind is always with them," Banerjee said at an event here without naming the chief minister.
She went on to offer to mediate and said: “Kashmir is doing well they say. I again say the process is wrong. Even three former Chief Ministers there they have the right to know.”
She added: “People of Kashmir are unaware of what is happening. I will ask this, they will scare me through ED, CBI. If no one is going, then send me to Kashmir, I'll speak to them, peaceful negotiations can be done. You handed the bill without even a discussion.
1. Process of scrapping wrong
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Banerjee said that the "process of scrapping" Article 370 of the Constitution was wrong.
"I don't want to discuss much about Article 370, but the process of scrapping was wrong. Don't I have the right to know the whereabouts of three former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir? They were elected by the people," she said.
"Since the last 8-10 days, no one in the country knows where they (Chief Minister) are? If I ask this question today, will I be arrested by the CBI or the ED? I still believe peaceful negotiation could have been done by discussing the issue with all the parties," she added.
2. No one knows what's happening
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"Since the last 8-10 days, no one in the country knows where they (Chief Minister) are? If I ask this question today, will I be arrested by the CBI or the ED? I still believe peaceful negotiation could have been done by discussing the issue with all the parties," she added.
3. PM on I-Day
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With the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the spirit of "One Nation, One Constitution" has become a reality, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday while slamming Congress and other opposition parties for making a hue and cry over the issue.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on 73rd Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi asked them if the issue was so "life-changing", then why the previous governments did not make the special status to the troubled state a "permanent" arrangement.
"If this was so important or life-changing, why was this Article not made permanent? Why did you let it remain temporary? After all, those people had huge mandates and could have easily removed its temporary status of Article 370," he said.
The Prime Minister said that within 10 weeks of returning to power, his government took key decisions including passing bills on the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, ban on the practice of Triple Talaq and anti-terror laws to fulfill the aspirations of the people.
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