Engineer Rashid Accuses Abdullahs and PM Modi of Collusion Over Article 370
In Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, who is the President of the Awami Ittehad Party and a Member of Parliament, made serious allegations against Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. Rashid claimed that they collaborated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rashid stated that PM Modi consulted with the Abdullahs before the decision was made. He further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assisted the National Conference (NC) in regaining power in the region. Rashid remarked, “Omar Abdullah speaks of statehood, Article 370 and 35A… Omar Abdullah is running away from 370. When PM Modi abrogated Article 370, he met Farooq Abdullah 3 days before that… After the meeting, Farooq Abdullah said that nothing was going to be abrogated but it was abrogated and Farooq and Omar Abdullah were kept in a guest house. It seems as if Farooq and Omar Abdullah were on board.”
He added, “PM Modi removed Article 370 after consulting with them. All of it was a match-fixing. There is no doubt that the BJP helped NC in coming to power.”
In August 2019, the Central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Engineer Rashid has a history of legal troubles. In 2005, he was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar for allegedly supporting militants and was held for over three months. However, all charges were later dropped on humanitarian grounds. In August 2019, Rashid was arrested again under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Despite being incarcerated, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail and won, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin of 204,000 votes.
Doubts Revealed
Engineer Rashid -: Engineer Rashid is a politician from Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is the President of the Awami Ittehad Party, which is a political party in the region.
Abdullahs -: The Abdullahs refer to Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, who are prominent politicians in Jammu and Kashmir. They belong to the National Conference party, which has been influential in the region’s politics.
PM Modi -: PM Modi refers to Narendra Modi, who is the Prime Minister of India. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is a major political party in India.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a special provision in the Indian Constitution that granted special autonomy to the region of Jammu and Kashmir. It was abrogated in 2019, meaning it was removed, changing the region’s status.
Collusion -: Collusion means secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to deceive others. In this context, it means working together secretly for a political purpose.
UAPA -: UAPA stands for the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which is a law in India aimed at preventing unlawful activities and terrorism. It allows the government to arrest and detain individuals suspected of being involved in such activities.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, which is a major political party in India. It is currently the ruling party in the country, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.