NC, Cong creating fear in Dogras, Ladakhis: BJP

The Jammu and Kashmir BJP today accused the National Conference and the Congress of creating fear and confusion among Dogras and Ladakhis over Article 35A and asked them to await the Supreme Court's verdict on a plea over the issue.
State BJP spokesperson Arun Kumar Gupta said that they should educate the masses and urge them to wait for the decision over the provision that allows the state legislature to define "permanent residents" of Jammu and Kashmir and their special rights and privileges.
The provision has been challenged in the Supreme Court.
"Some other political leaders, of the National Conference and the Congress, are also trying to create confusion and fear among the masses in Jammu and Ladakh on Article 35A," he alleged.

"They are claiming that the Dogras and the Ladakhis will lose in the state... These claims are a clear attempt to raise a bogey of fear and create ill-will against the Supreme Court," he alleged.
Attacking the Kashmir Civil Society, a group against the abrogation of Article 35A, Gupta claimed the organisation was not representative of the entire state but limited only to Srinagar.

He asked how many members did it have from the Dogra community or Ladakhi community and if other members from regions in the rest of the state.
He said they did not represent the public opinion on Article 35-A in the state.

He claimed that the group discussed an organised movement against the abolition of the article with NC leader Farooq Abdullah yesterday.
He said Abdullah was a former chief minister and he understood the separation of powers in the country and knew that the matter was sub judice.
He said the court's decisions were based on legal arguments and not on threat of street demonstrations.
The BJP leader said the Supreme Court had to decide on whether Article 35A was constitutional or not.
He said if the treatment of male and female permanent residents was different under it, it would be struck down but if the provision has some legal backing, the apex court's decision may be different.