Cong's Karan Singh, son differ from party, do not agree with 'blanket condemnation' of J-K moves

Taking a stand different from his party's, veteran Congress leader Karan Singh on Thursday said he does not agree with a blanket condemnation of the government's decision on Jammu and Kashmir and pointed out what he called were its several positives.

In a statement the "positive points" Singh counted included the Union Territory status for Ladakh, scrapping of Article 35 A, future delimitation of constituencies as a result of the state's bifurcation into UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

However, he did not comment directly on Article 370 and also called for releasing the leaders of legitimate political parties in Jammu and Kashmir and initiate a broad-based political dialogue with them.

His son and Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh, while supporting Karan Singh's statement, said this is the beginning of a new era for people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Vikramaditya Singh said he fully supports the step for full integration of J&K state into the Union of India and its reorganisation. He had unsuccessfully contested the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat against union minister Jitendra Singh as a Congress candidate.

Karan Singh's statement comes two days after the Congress Working Committee deplored the manner in which the government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status by scrapping provisions of Article 370, and bifurcated the state.

"I personally do not agree with a blanket condemnation of these developments. There are several positive points," Singh said in the statement here, referring to the government decisions.

"Ladakh's emergence as UT is to be welcomed...The gender discrimination in Article 35 A needed to be addressed as also the long awaited enfranchisement of West Pakistan refugees and reservation for Scheduled Tribes will be welcomed," said Singh, son of a former J&K ruler, the late Maharaja Hari Singh.

He also welcomed the fact that the bifurcation of the state meant there will be delimitation in future. "There will be a fresh delimitation which, for the first time, will ensure and fair division of political power between the Jammu and Kashmir regions."
Singh recalled his father Hari Singh's decision to sign the Instrument of Accession with India in 1947 and said, "My sole concern is the welfare of all sections of people in the state."