Abrogation of Art 370 brought real unity of the nation: VP

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that abrogation of Article 370 has removed the barriers between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country, resulting in the real unity of the nation.

Naidu said this in his speech at the inauguration of the 21st North East Book Fair here.

"Article 370 was a barrier between Kashmir and the rest of the country and its abrogation approved by both the Rajya Sabha, where the government does not have a majority, and Lok Sabha by an overwhelming majority clearly shows the real unity of the nation", he said.

"Kashmir is an integral part of India and it is the prerogative of the government to decide on how to reorganise its administrative units. It is within the constitutional framework and the Parliament has approved", Naidu added.

There are, however, some people who are trying to "spread disinformation and we must launch a campaign against this. Moreover, Kashmir is an internal matter of our country and nobody has the right to interfere in our affairs", Naidu said.

"Our neighbouring country is interfering in our internal matter by aiding, abetting and training terrorists to create trouble in our country. We should be cautious and counter their efforts", he added.

The abolition of Article 370 is the culmination of the dreams of the people of the nation and "we must shun the divisive forces, have love and affection for all, irrespective of caste, creed or religion to make the country more strong and stable and prove to the world that India is one and united", the Vice-President said.