TMC MP differs from party's stand on Article 370, raises eyebrows

Differing from his party's stand, a Rajya Sabha member of the TMC has lent support to the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, raising eyebrows among the top leadership.

Senior TMC leader and Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Sekhar Ray had in a tweet supported the abrogation of provisions of Article 370.

"Decades old Comedy of Errors are being rectified now. It was a thunderbolt today. Many more in the offing? Change is the wheel of our national life. We are mortals. But the nation is not. We must not sing Yesterday Once More. Let it be today and tomorrow," Ray tweeted on Monday.

TMC Rajya Sabha party leader Derek O' Brien had on Monday opposed the abrogation of the provisions in Parliament.

Ray's views are also contrary to that of party chief Mamata Banerjee, who on Tuesday said her party would strongly oppose the Jammu and Kashmir reorganisation bill that proposes to bifurcate the state into two union territories.

Banerjee also said the Centre should have consulted all political parties before coming to a decision to scrap constitutional provisions that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

"The government could have taken the decision after consulting all the political parties and Kashmiris. There was no vote or discussion on the Kashmir issue. This is not democratic. We will oppose it tooth and nail," Banerjee said.

O' Brien had in a tweet said, "The right wing is calling this The Final Solution! What does that mean? In 1942, this was the code name for the Nazi plan for genocide, to murder the Jews."