Although BJP leaders claimed that the ongoing four-day conclave at Nagpur was purely an apolitical event, victims of Article 35A have been specially invited to the conclave to highlight their plight.
A two-member delegation of West Pakistan refugees headed by Labha Ram Gandhi participated in the inaugural session of the high-profile conclave inaugurated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at Nagpur this morning.
Organised by RSS-affiliated Jammu Kashmir Study Centre, the event has been named ‘Sapt-Sindhu Jammu Kashmir Ladakh Mahotsav’ to showcase the culture of the region and to highlight the plight of the state. “On the invitation of the organisers, we are here to attend the conclave in which all issues pertaining to J&K will be discussed,” Labha Ram told Kashmir Post over the phone from Nagpur. “The discussions or deliberations on J&K are incomplete without highlighting our unending plight. We have been bearing the maximum brunt of the ‘constitutional frauds’ committed in this state under the guise of the special status,” he said.
He said the West Pakistan refugees’ delegation would meet top RSS leaders to seek their support.
Inviting West Pakistan refugees in the event has authenticated that discussions would be held on Article 35A. The refugees, most of whom are Dalits and OBCs and have been living in Jammu since 1947, are being denied citizenship and other constitutional rights enjoyed by the residents of Jammu and Kashmir due to Article 35A. The JKSC is educating people across the country about Article 35A and how it is the main reason for violation of human rights of people in J&K. The Article enables the state Assembly to define permanent residents and gives rights and privileges to the citizens of the state. Several petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court to challenge Article 35A. Some NGOs and individuals, who are the petitioners, have observed that the Article was “inserted” into the Constitution through fraudulent means without taking the consent of Parliament. In January, Law Minister Abdul Haq had said that the PDP-BJP government was forcefully defending Article 35A. He had said that the J&K Government had hired the services of a battery of seniormost advocates, including Fali S Nariman, Shekhar Naphade, Rakesh Dwivedi and KV Viswanathan, to vigorously pursue the litigations and put across the state’s position.
West Pakistan refugees invited to RSS conclave in Nagpur
