Scarping Article 35A won't benefit anyone: Aiyar

Article 35A is part of the constitution and making any amendment to it will not benefit anyone said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Saturday.

"No one should even touch the subject of Article 35A. It is a part of the constitution and no one should make an attempt to scrap it. It will be in no one's favour", he asserted.

Aiyar also suggested that Hurriyat leaders should also be brought on board for discussion on Kashmir.

"I believe Hurriyat should be a part of the dialogue. During my last visit to Kashmir in May 2017, I invited Hurriyat. I will meet everyone who is ready to meet me. Before my current visit, I had contacted Yasin Malik through a friend but he refused to meet me in Srinagar and said to meet in Delhi instead".

Expressing delight over his return in the Congress party, the former minister said, "I haven't met Congress President Rahul Gandhi yet and hence can't comment on my future prospects. I think my interest in Kashmir has been consistent as a citizen of India".

Aiyar also took the occasion to draw comparison between Kashmir issue and south India's Dravidian movement and said, "I belong to Tamil Nadu and there was Dravid movement there between 1947-62, the main demand was that they don't want to be a part of India. The issue was solved amicably with dialogue and now Tamil Nadu remains an integral part of India".

Reacting to a question of having a referendum in the valley, he said, "we conduct elections and everyone is free to contest in it. There are some people who claim to be the voice of Kashmir but they don't take part in the election process. Saying that there are people demanding referendum hence we must conduct only referendum here is unjust".

The Congress Party had revoked the suspension of Mani Shankar Aiyar from its primary membership on August 18, 2018. He was suspended from Congress in December 2017 after making a controversial remark on Prime Minister Modi.