CWC slams Modi govt for abrogating Article 370, says rights of state was violated

Slamming the Modi government for scrapping the Article 370, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Tuesday passed a resolution stating that the party disapproves the "unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic manner" in which the Article was abrogated.

"The CWC deplores the unilateral, brazen and totally undemocratic manner in which Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated and Jammu and Kashmir was dismembered by misinterpreting the provisions of the Constitution. Every principle of constitutional law, states' rights, parliamentary procedure and democratic governance was violated and the move calls into question the very idea of India being a Union of States," read the resolution.

The meeting was held on Tuesday evening after the passage of the bill in parliament to divide Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories and adoption of the resolution to repeal Article 370 which gives special status to the state.

The CWC meeting was held in the backdrop of differences in opinion within the party on the abrogation of article 370. Party leader Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was its chief whip in Rajya Sabha, resigned after the party opposing the government's move. Other leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Janardan Dwivedi have also supported Centre's move on Jammu and Kashmir.

Scindia, who had said in a tweet that the process of repeal could have been better, attended the meeting.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other members of the party's highest decision-making body were present in the meeting.

The CWC resolution said that Article 370 was conceived and crafted by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel and BR Ambedkar, assisted by N Gopalaswamy Iyengar and VP Menon.

"Article 370 is the Constitutional recognition of the terms of the Instrument of Accession between the State of Jammu & Kashmir and India. It deserved to be honoured until it was amended, after consultation with all sections of the people, and strictly in accordance with the Constitution of India," it said.

"What the BJP government accomplished yesterday in the Rajya Sabha and today in the Lok Sabha has grave implications going well beyond J & K and calls into question the very idea of India being a Union of States. Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India as one State and no government has the power to change its status or divide it or reduce any part of it to a Union Territory," read the resolution dated August 6.

The Congress party pledged to stand with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh "to fight the BJP and its divisive and diabolical agenda with every power in its hands". The CWC urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace and calm.

The CWC "strongly reaffirmed" the party's position that Jammu and Kashmir including the areas under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and the part ceded by it to China are an integral part of India.

"The integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India is final and irrevocable. CWC firmly asserted that all issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir are internal matters of India and no outside interference will be tolerated", it said.