Unveiling the manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Amit Shah has ruled out the restoration of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state, and said the provision has now “become history”. 

The restoration of Article 370, which was abrogated in 2019, has been promised in the manifesto released by the National Conference, which is contesting the elections in an alliance with the Congress. The Assembly polls will be the first since 2014 and are also being keenly watched to gauge how the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel about the removal of the provision.

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during an exclusive interview with NDTV, said that scrapping of Article 370 helped strengthen democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the move sent a clear message to the people of the Valley that they are a part of India.

“Modi ji scrapped Article 370 and sent a message to Valley that you are a part of India and India belongs to you, you belong to India. I believe because of this the foundation of democracy there got stronger, and not just Lok Sabha polls even panchayat polls there there was 90 per cent voting. I believe it is a huge achievement and every Indian should welcome this,” Mr Shah said during a conversation with NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia.

Elaborating, Mr Shah said that the BJP government has been so successful in the region that even members of separatist organisations are now casting their votes.

“Some people of Jamaat e-Islami and Hurriyat voted and said they voted under Indian Constitution since there is no J&K Constitution. Jammu and Kashmir is now under Indian Constitution, so I believe Narendra Modi’s Kashmir policy was successful. For so many years, Kashmir was being governed through appeasement politics but not anymore,” the Home Minister said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is hoping to win a third consecutive term. Last phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections will be held on June 1, and results will be declared on June 4.

To a question about BJP’s pitch of winning 400+ seats, Mr Shah said, “When we won the 2014 elections under Narendra Modi’s leadership on the slogan of absolute majority, many political analysts from Delhi had said this was not possible. But we got absolute majority. Then, in 2019, when we gave the slogan of ‘300 plus’, people said it is not possible. People are saying the same this time. But I think they will believe us in the next election before ‘400 par’ is happening this time.”

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded the people of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency for the “encouraging turnout” of 38 per cent, which is more than double the 14.43 pc polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In the first general election in the valley after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, polling took place in 2,135 polling stations on Monday across the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency containing assembly segments of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Budgam and Shopian districts.

In his post on X, PM Modi said, “Would especially like to applaud the people of Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency for the encouraging turnout, significantly better than before. The abrogation of Article 370 has enabled the potential and aspirations of the people to find full expression. Happening at the grassroots level, it is great for the people of J&K, in particular the youth.”

Srinagar voter turnout of 38 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is the highest in several decades. There are 24 candidates in the fray as compared to 12 in the 2019 general election.

The voter turnout in Srinagar was 14.43 per cent in 2019, 25.86 per cent in 2014, 25.55 per cent in 2009, 18.57 per cent in 2004, 11.93 per cent in 1999, 30.06 per cent in 1998, and 40.94 per cent in 1996.

According to the Election Commission, voters from Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama, and Shopian showed up in record numbers to cast their votes in a show of faith and enthusiasm in the election process.

Chadoora, Ganderbal, Kangan, Khansahib and Shopian Assembly segments recorded more than 45 per cent voter turnout.

“Polling personnel, including security personnel, worked tirelessly to ensure that an atmosphere of calm, peace and festivities welcomed voters at the polling stations,” the ECI said.

“More than 8,000 polling staff were on duty to cater to the over 17.47 lakh strong electorate. Command-and-Control centres have been working round the clock in Srinagar as well as Jammu since March 16, the date of announcement of general elections to ensure free, fair and inducement-free elections,” it added.

The commission has enabled Kashmiri migrant voters residing at various relief camps in Delhi, Jammu and Udhampur to also have the option of voting in person at designated special polling stations or using postal ballot. 21 special polling stations were established at Jammu, one at Udhampur and four at Delhi.

In 2019, polling for the Lok Sabha was held for six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, which resulted in the split of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, there is no longer a separate Lok Sabha constituency for Ladakh.

Voting for the Udhampur and Jammu seats was concluded on April 19 and 26 respectively while in Srinagar voting was done on May 13.
Baramulla seat will vote on May 20 while the Anantnag-Rajouri seat on May 25.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dhar:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he wanted the 400-seat mandate for the BJP-led NDA to ensure the Congress does not bring back Article 370 in Kashmir and put a “Babri lock” on the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

He also hit out at RJD leader Lalu Prasad over his remarks favouring quota benefits to Muslims, saying the INDI alliance wants to snatch all reservations of SCs, STs and OBCs and give them to the “vote bank” as part of a deeper conspiracy.

Addressing a rally at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi said Congress has mentioned in the poll manifesto that it will ensure the participation of minorities in contracts, which means the opposition party will give contracts on a religious basis.

He claimed the Congress has also talked about giving priority to minorities in sports and wondered whether the selection of players in the cricket team will be based on his religion.

PM Modi accused Congress of belittling Babasaheb Ambedkar by claiming he had a very little role in framing the Constitution compared to Pandit Nehru.

“The truth is that the Congress parivar (family) deeply hates Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar,” he said.

Accusing Congress of spreading rumours that the BJP government will change the Constitution if it wins 400 seats, Modi said it seems the intelligence of Congress people is focused on their vote bank.

“It is important for the country’s people to know the BJP-led NDA already has 400-plus seats in Parliament. We used this number to scrap Article 370 (which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir),” the PM said.

PM Modi wants 400 seats so that the Congress won’t bring back Article 370 to spoil the game and put a Babri lock on the Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said.

The PM said that about 14 days back, he challenged Congress to give in writing to the country’s 140 crore people that it will not give reservation based on religion.

“Secondly, I asked them to give in writing that they will never snatch reservations being given to SCs, STs and OBC and thirdly, to give in writing that they will never give reservations to Muslims through dacoity on the existing OBC quota, but they are not responding and put a lock on their mouths,” he said.

PM Modi claimed the Congress has also talked about giving priority to minorities in sports.

“I wanted to ask Congress, if it wanted to do so, why it divided the country in three parts after 1947. At the same time, the entire country would have been made Pakistan and at the same time, India would have been erased,” he said.

The PM said he wants 400 Lok Sabha seats to prevent Congress from “dacoity” of the OBC quota to benefit its vote bank.

Lashing out at Congress for claiming that BJP will alter the Constitution in the third term, Modi said, “We have also used these 400 plus seats to extend SC/ST quota for 10 years, appoint a tribal woman as the country’s President for the first time and to provide reservation to women, PM Modi said.

“Modi is asking for 400 seats so that the Congress does not hand over the country’s vacant land and islands to other countries, it does not take away reservation given to SC/ST/OBCs and give it to its vote bank and does not declare all castes of its vote bank as OBC overnight,” he said.

Without naming Lalu Prasad, PM Modi said a big alliance partner of the INDIA bloc has endorsed what he used to say about their plan to end the reservations for SC, ST and OBCs.

“Their leader who has eaten the animal’s fodder (alluding to Lalu Yadav’s conviction in fodder scam) and convicted by the court, even by the Supreme Court in the corruption case and out on bail due to health..” “Congress is making him dance on their head. He is saying not only Muslims should get reservations but all the reservations should be given to Muslims. Means they want all the reservation to Muslims by snatching it from SC, ST and OBC,” PM Modi said.

He alleged the Congress had stabbed Ambedkar, who had opposed the religion-based reservation, and the Constitution in the back.

“The Congress has started saying that he (Ambedkar) had a very little role in framing the Constitution and Pandit Nehru made the most significant contribution,” he said and pointed out that Ambedkar was given the Bharat Ratna when Congress was not in power.

He said if Congress has its way, it will say its vote bank has the first right to live in India and asserted “till Modi is alive, he will foil attempts to erase India’s identity in the name of fake and pseudo-secularism”.

The Congress, which gave the Gareebi Hatao slogan for 50 years, is angry with facilities being given to the poor now, Modi alleged.

“Congress leaders are saying they will discontinue the free ration and free medical treatment schemes,” he said, adding Congress has opposed all our works related to “viraasat (legacy) and aastha (faith).

PM Modi said the Opposition was defeated in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, “destroyed” in the second phase, and whatever is left of it in the third phase today will also collapse. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Srinagar:

The Jammu and Kashmir government today revoked the suspension of a college teacher who had recently argued against the scrapping of Article 370 in the Supreme Court.

The suspension of Zahoor Ahmad Bhat, a senior lecturer of political science, surfaced when the Supreme Court was hearing petitions challenging the centre’s 2019 move.

The Supreme Court had sought to know if the suspension was linked to his court appearance and indicated it would take a dim view if this was the case, suggesting it might be seen as “retribution”.

The government’s top law officer, too, admitted the timing of his suspension was not proper.

The Jammu and Kashmir government revoked the suspension order on Sunday and asked Mr Bhat to “report back for his original place of posting”.

This comes a day before the centre concludes its argument in the Article 370 case before the Supreme Court. This is also the first instance in last the four years that a government order was revoked in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Supreme Court last week asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to speak with the Lt Governor over the lecturer being suspended days after he had appeared before its five-judge Constitution bench.

Before the court, Mr Bhat, who also holds a law degree, had argued against the 2019 move that took away Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two Union territories.

Soon after, the Jammu and Kashmir Education department suspended him citing the violations of the civil service regulations, government employees conduct rules and leave rules.

Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal raised the issue in the Supreme Court after which Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to look into it and speak to the Lt Governor.

Mr Sibal told the court that Mr Bhat had argued for five minutes in the court which led to his suspension on August 25. “He took leave for two days, went back, and was suspended,” he informed.

“Mr AG, just see what has happened. Someone who appears in this court is suspended now. Have a look into it. Talk to the LG,” the Chief Justice remarked. “If there is something else, then it’s different. But why such close succession to him appearing and then getting suspended,” he asked.

Justice SK Kaul, also part of the Constitution Bench, pointed out the “close proximity” between the arguments and the suspension order, following which the Solicitor General admitted that the “timing was not definitely proper”

Justice BR Gavai, another judge on the bench, too said the government action may be a retribution.

Mr Mehta pointed out there were other issues that had led to his suspension and that Mr Bhat appears in various courts.

Then, he should have been suspended earlier, why now, argued Mr Sibal.

The senior lawyer said Mr Bhat teaches politics in Jammu and Kashmir and it had become difficult for him since the 2019 move as his students were raising questions over democracy.

New Delhi:

Foreign minister S Jaishankar termed the scrapping of Article 370 — which gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status — “one of the biggest achievements” of the BJP-led Central government. In a conversation with NDTV’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia that’s part of NDTV’s mega conclave “Decoding G-20”, Mr Jaishankar said, “About Kashmir, honestly, I was a member of the cabinet in 2019 and involved in the decisions taken. One part is still amazed at how we allowed this situation to fester for so long”.

The change on the ground, he said, has been hugely positive. I had gone there in 1979 when I joined the government. I went to the same place in 2019 where I went in 1979 and was amazed at how little had changed,” he said.

Mr Jaishankar’s comments come as a five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court is hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the scrapping of the Article 370.  

The hearing has been on for 12 days, during which the Centre has cited the changes in the erstwhile state, which was split into two Union territories in 2019 after is special status was scrapped.