Shivraj Singh Chouhan Criticizes Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi Over Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday criticized Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi, saying that even their seven generations cannot bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a poll rally in Jammu, Chouhan stated, “Today I want to say that ‘Farooq Abdullah aur Rahul Gandhi ki saat pidhiyan (generations) bhi Article 370 nahi la sakti’…BJP government is there…”
He accused the Congress-National Conference (NC) party of diverting people’s attention from real issues such as employment, food, education, health, and development. “We say what we do. Our goal is to change the fate of the people, to bring happiness into your lives, to bring smiles to your faces, and for you to live your life in peace. But what are they saying? They are saying that if our government comes to power, we will abolish Article 370. Rahul Baba, even the NC leaders cannot abolish Article 370. Is this the issue, brothers and sisters? Our issue is employment, food, education, health and development. They are leading us in the wrong direction,” Chouhan said.
Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated that the opposition will use its full force to pressurize the Centre to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. Addressing a public rally in Sopore, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said that for the first time in history, a state was downgraded into a ‘union territory’ and injustice was served to the people of the territory and the INDIA bloc will fight for its restoration. “We wanted that the statehood be restored before elections. All the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted the elections to take place after the restoration of the statehood. The first and foremost issue is regarding your statehood. Several UTs have been made states, and states have been bifurcated. But this is the first time in history that a state has been turned into a Union Territory. It did not happen, the first step is election. But after this, the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir has to be restored,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Assembly polls are being held in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases. Voting for the second phase is currently underway on Wednesday, with 26 constituencies across six districts of the Union Territory. The first phase, held on September 18, recorded a voter turnout of 61.13 per cent across 24 constituencies in seven districts, according to the Election Commission. Voting for the third phase will take place on October 1, with vote counting scheduled for October 8, alongside the counting of votes in Haryana.
Doubts Revealed
Shivraj Singh Chouhan -: Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a politician in India. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
Farooq Abdullah -: Farooq Abdullah is an Indian politician. He is a member of the National Conference party and has served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Rahul Gandhi -: Rahul Gandhi is an Indian politician. He is a member of the Indian National Congress party and comes from the famous Nehru-Gandhi family.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a part of the Indian Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. It was removed in 2019, meaning Jammu and Kashmir no longer has special autonomy.
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India. It used to be a state with special status but is now a Union Territory.
Congress-National Conference party -: This refers to two political parties in India: the Indian National Congress and the National Conference. They sometimes work together in elections.
statehood -: Statehood means being recognized as a state in India, with its own government. Jammu and Kashmir lost its statehood in 2019 and became a Union Territory.
Assembly polls -: Assembly polls are elections to choose representatives for the legislative assembly of a state or Union Territory in India. These representatives make laws and policies for the region.