BJP mocks NC’s call for ‘special status’ for J&K, says no return to Article 370 | India News

Jammu: The National Governance Congress (NC)’s insistence on restoring the “special status” of J&K since it formed the government in 2024 faced a strong rebuttal from the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday, which argued that there was no such term in the Indian constitution and dismissed the call as having “no status”.“Tell me where the words ‘special status’ for J&K are in the Indian constitution. If they can find it, I am ready to face any punishment,” opposition leader Sunil Sharma of the Bharatiya Janata Party told the rally.The bold move comes in response to North Carolina MP Javed Hassan Baig’s demand for special status during the chief minister’s budget speech on Friday. Omar Abdullah. Baig thinks the word will go down in history Article 370which defined the constitutional relationship between the erstwhile state of J&K and the Union of India.Baig said Article 35A, derived from Article 370, is more important as it guarantees land rights and government jobs to J&K employees. He further argued that the constitution of J&K, which exists under the Constitution of India, confers internal autonomy to the region while external sovereignty has been given to the Union.Baig explained that Article 370, Article 35A, the J&K Constitution and the J&K flag together constitute the so-called “special status” and this is what NC needs to be restored to.Sharma countered that the NC’s demand must be backed by clear constitutional provisions while claiming that “Article 370 has been buried”. “What is special status? Where is it mentioned? It is not mentioned anywhere. Many states seek special packages and incentives, which can include employment or development schemes. They can be termed special status,” Sharma said.Outside Parliament, Sharma reiterated that there was no mention of “special status” when J&K joined or merged with India and accused NC of misleading voters.On November 6, 2024, shortly after NC’s election, Parliament passed a resolution seeking to restore “special status” without clarifying what the term meant. In May last year, a major National Council meeting chaired by President Farooq Abdullah passed a resolution to restore special status and full statehood to J&K. The resolution also does not define the phrase.Former CM Mehbooba Mufi’s PDP and Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference (PC) had earlier asked the NC to clarify its stand.