Senior Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra Sunday said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is acting as a collaborator and facilitator for the Sangh Parivar’s agenda of changing the demographic profile of the state.
“Extension of certain central laws to the state and the lopsided and irresponsible attitude of state government towards Article 35-A has vindicated my assertion that PDP has bartered the honour, dignity, distinct identity and self-esteem for a few loaves of power,” Karra said while addressing media personnel at his Shivpora residence.
Terming the PDP-BJP alliance as ‘unholy’ and ‘unethical’, Karra said J&K is passing through a grave constitutional and political crisis because of them, adding that the track record of past two years stands testimony to his contention.
“This uncertainty is perpetrated upon us by PDP and BJP.”
He questioned the PDP for failing to convince the BJP led government at the Centre to file objections in the Supreme Court with regard to Article 35-A petitions.
“If BJP had turned down their request then they should have left the alliance in the state on moral ground.”
Terming the alliance government’s posturing on Article 35-A as a ‘fixed match’, Karra said that the PDP-BJP want to address their respective political constituencies to become martyrs in the eyes of people.
He said the “sinister plot” of PDP-BJP government under which they exhibited “deliberate lackadaisical approach” for defending Article 35-A prompted him to approach the Supreme Court as a private member in the case.
“To save my motherland from the evil eyes of saffron brigade helped by the PDP, I filed an application in the SC for getting myself impleaded as a private party,” Karra said, adding, “Callous attitude of PDP and malicious designs of RSS need to be thwarted.”
Karra said BJP has taken judicial route to abrogate Article 35-A because they want to sell to their electorate that they repealed it while leaving room for the PDP to claim that it was done by the SC.
Flanked by senior Congress leaders including Taj Mohiuddin, G M Saroori and Abdul Rashid Dar, he said the abrogation of Article 35-A is part of a larger conspiracy under which the RSS wants to change the demography of the state.
Karra said in the past the judicial fiddling attempts with Article 370 and 34-A have failed thrice in 1961, 1969 and 2016.
Equating the special powers of the state with the powers enjoyed by various north eastern states and Goa under Article 371, he questioned as to why only Article 370 was challenged and called ultra-virus with the constitution of India.
He also said that the powers enjoyed by the citizens of J&K date back two years before the same rights were granted to the citizens of India.
“Article 35-A flows out from Article 370 directly and it doesn’t grant anything new to us and Article 370 is the part of original Indian constitution,” Karra said.
Referring to the 1954 Presidential order, Karra said, “Government of India had through this order negotiated the Indian citizenship with us in lieu of the constitutional safeguards which are provided to us through Article 35-A.”
“If Article 35-A goes then there are 42 other presidential orders passed from time to time which will also have to go. Is GOI ready to do away with all the other 42 order because if they are ready then J&K will only be connected with India by virtue of Article 1 and original Article 370?”
While dissecting the grounds of the plea against Article 35-A before SC, Karra said, “Their only plea is that Article 35-A wasn’t brought in through Article 368 which gives parliament power to formulate laws but then SC previously in many cases has already stated that Article 368 doesn’t apply to J&K.”
Terming Article 35-A and 370 as the ‘minimum right’ and ‘only bargaining tool’ with Union of India, Karra said people of J&K won’t tolerate fiddling with it.
He said the anxiety prevalent among the people of J&K on the issue is because of the nefarious designs of PDP and BJP combine along with the recent statement of Attorney General wherein he called for a wider debate on Article 370.
“Attorney General’s statement was politically motivated because PDP-BJP wants to open flood gates in the state.”
On his joining the legal battle as a private player, Karra said he has been promised all the support and assistance from the Congress high command in this regard.
On the question of Congress eroding the special position of J&K from 1951, Karra said he wasn’t part of Congress then but is happy to know that they might join the legal battle to safeguard Article 35-A.
“It was good to see that Farooq sahab has signalled that opposition parties might fight the case.”
Abrogation of Article 35A is part of RSS plot, Karra tears into PDP-BJP alliance
