Article 370 no Babri Masjid, says Mehbooba Mufti

Contending that Article 370 of the Constitution cannot be abrogated "without the Jammu and Kashmir constituent assembly's consent", People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti Monday said it was "no Babri Masjid to be demolished by communal forces".

Reacting to BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's statement at a rally in Jammu Sunday that there should a debate on Article 370 to decide whether it was helping the people in the state or not, she said: "Article 370 connects Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India and if it is abrogated, the accession of the state with India will automatically become redundant".

Talking to reporters here, Mehbooba Mufti said Modi is ill-informed about Article 370.

"Article 370 connects Jammu and Kashmir with India and it can be abrogated only with the consent of the constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir."

"Article 370 is not Babri Masjid which could be demolished by the communal forces," she said.