Autonomy, Not Just Statehood, Is Justice for Jammu Kashmir, Centre misleading nation over Kashmir’s post Art-370 abrogation situation: MP Aga Ruhullah in Parliament
Srinagar 03 Jan: National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah on Monday called for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s pre-1953 status, asserting that mere statehood was insufficient. He also criticised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for failing to mention the plight of Muslims in his parliamentary speech.
Speaking during the debate on the President’s address in Parliament, Ruhullah pointed out that while Gandhi spoke about his vision for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and highlighted concerns of OBCs and backward classes, he overlooked Muslims. “Are Muslims only meant to be frightened by the BJP for votes? I want to make it clear that Muslims are not afraid of anyone,” he said.
Ruhullah insisted that Jammu and Kashmir’s full autonomy must be reinstated. “Not just Article 370, but the pre-1953 status must be restored. Many people are hopeful about statehood, but true justice will only be served when autonomy is returned,” he stated.
He accused the BJP of misleading the public about the benefits of Article 370’s revocation, arguing that elections were held even when the provision was in force. “People across the country are being fooled. Article 370 was removed through an illegitimate process, and now they claim that its removal has brought development. But what are the actual consequences?” he asked.
Citing statistical data, Ruhullah noted that under Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir ranked sixth in the Human Development Index (HDI) with a score of 0.712, outperforming BJP-ruled states such as Haryana (0.702), Uttar Pradesh (0.596), Madhya Pradesh (0.606), and Gujarat (0.677). He also highlighted that before the abrogation, J&K had a higher life expectancy (73.5 years) than Gujarat (68 years) and a better gross enrolment ratio in higher education (30.9 per cent) compared to Gujarat (20.4 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (28.5 per cent), and Bihar (14 per cent).
