Vowed to preserve, uphold Article 35A: NC leader

National Conference leader Devender Singh Rana today described Article 35A as a constitutional guarantee to the unique identity and rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir and pledged to uphold and preserve it.
Article 35A defines the residency laws in the state and bars outsiders from buying any immovable property or applying for jobs in the state government.
"We pledge to offer every sacrifice for upholding and preserving Article 35A. It is a constitutional guarantee to the unique identity and legitimate rights of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, irrespective of religion or caste," the party provincial president said

He was speaking while leading party functionaries and workers in paying tributes to 'Baba-e-Quom' Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah on his 35th death anniversary at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here.
Rana said Article 35A reflected the identity of people and empowered them to shape their destiny and said any attempt to fiddle with it would harm Jammu more than the other two regions.
He said that protecting Article 35A was saving the proud Dogra heritage and culture.
He called for identifying and deporting all fake state subject holders and said they were usurping the rights of Dogras.
Paying tributes to Sher-e-Kashmir, Rana described him a 'Yugpurush' who tirelessly worked and strengthened the bonds of brotherhood at a time when the sub-continent was undergoing a communal holocaust.