UP Cabinet passes resolution hailing govt's 'historic' decision to revoke Article 370

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday passed a resolution hailing the "historic decision" of the Centre to revoke provisions of Article 370 which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

UP government spokesmen Shrikant Sharma and Sidharth Nath Singh told reporters in a press conference that the resolution passed at the cabinet meeting hailed the historic decision and congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for it.

"We have always advocated 'ek pradhan, ek vidhan ek nishan' (one head, one constitution and one symbol). This historic decision will take Jammu and Kashmir on the path of the development like other states," Sharma said.

The cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

"Due to self-interest of three families -- the Abdullahs, Muftis and Congress -- the people of Jammu and Kashmir were used and exploited. They are now free from all this. The Cabinet also thanked all the parties which supported the government on this," Adityanath said.

He had on Monday greeted prime minister for fulfilling the seven-decade-old aspiration.

"A historic mistake has been corrected by this historic and extremely bold decision. Now the status of a special state given to Jammu and Kashmir has ceased and Kashmir has become an integral part of India just like any other state. The integration of Kashmir into India has been completed," he had said in a tweet in Hindi.

"With full integration of Kashmir in India, terrorism will be destroyed, peace will prevail and the pace of social and economic development in Kashmir will be faster. Kashmir will get education and employment opportunities and every citizen of India can also come to Kashmir for tourism and trade," he had said.