NCP's Ajit Pawar praises Centre for abolishing Article 370

Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Tuesday praised the Centre for abolishing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and asked it to now work towards reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said its revocation would help integrate the country better.

"Yesterday the Centre scrapped Article 370. A good decision was taken. Neither my party nor I believe in opposition for the sake of opposition. If something is good, it has to be called good," the former deputy chief minister said here.

He was addressing a gathering during the party's 'Shiv Swarajya Yatra', a mass outreach campaign ahead of upcoming Assembly polls in Maharashtra.

He said the decision to abolish Article 370 was necessary to keep the country intact and create communal harmony.

"Now that it has been done, don't stop. Go and acquire Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as it is the wish of every Indian," he said.

He said the Centre should take all measures to ensure peace is maintained in the restive northern state following this decision.

Incidentally, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar had on Monday expressed disappointment that the Centre had revoked Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir without taking the northern state's people and leaders into confidence.