The decision of the mainstream position to joint the legal battle on article 35 in the supreme court of the country and the acceptance of senior Congress leader Tariq Hameed Kara as a private party on petitions filed against article 35 A show that law department of the Jammu & Kashmir government won’t be fighting a lonely battle for protection of article 35A in the supreme court from now onwards. More encouraging for the people concerned about the protection of article 35 A was the participation of the Congress party in the meeting of the mainstream opposition chaired by National Conference president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah during which the mainstream opposition parties equivocally resolved to join the legal battle for protection of article 35 A . The meeting of National Conference President Farooq Abdullah with the civil society members who have constituted a coordination committee “we the people” for protection of article 35 A could also supplement the efforts of the mainstream opposition for a broader political consensus for a united fight against the petitions filed to challenge the legal and constitutional validity of article 35 A in the supreme court of the country. The calculated decisions taken by both the joint resistance leadership and the mainstream opposition led by Farooq Abdullah to defend Article 35-A of the Indian Constitution irrespective of their political ideologies is a bigger jolt to the BJP and its hardcore affiliates overtly and covertly sponsoring the petitioners who have filed suits against article 35 A in the supreme court of the country.
Keeping in view the efforts of joint resistance leadership and the mainstream opposition under the leadership of Farooq Abdullah for building a broader political consensus on fight for protection of article 35 A the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is morally bound to seek clarifications from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the controversial remark of the Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir over grant of domicile certificates to West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) for the reasons of being directly connected with the protection of article 35 A.
Inimical to political forces giving a push to the unity among the parties concerned over protection of article 35 A the highly responsible leaders of the Modi government are trying to communalise the situation by talking about the proposals for granting domicile certificates of the West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs). Unfortunately the highly responsible Minister of State for Home in the Modi government Hansraj Ahir despite knowing all about the deeper concerns of his party’s ally PDP in Jammu & Kashmir on the protection of article 35 A during his recent visit to border areas is Jammu region said ‘the central government is seriously considering proposals for granting domicile certificates to West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) in Jammu region’. Ironically Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti beating drums on the implementation of the “agenda of alliance” did not dare to seek explanation from Hansraj Ahir for making statements contradictory to references made in the “ agenda of alliance” on contentious issues particularly those related to article 370 of the constitution of India granting special status to Jammu & Kashmir state. After Chief Minister’s meetings with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir should not have talked about the possibility of granting domicile rights to West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) which again is directly connected with article 35 A against which three petitions are pending disposal in the supreme court of the country. Keeping in view the efforts of joint resistance leadership and the mainstream opposition under the leadership of Farooq Abdullah for building a broader political consensus on fight for protection of article 35 A the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is morally bound to seek clarifications from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the controversial remark of the Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir over grant of domicile certificates to West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs) for the reasons of being directly connected with the protection of article 35 A.
