Congress, National Conference uses special status to J&K as per their convenience: Jitendra Singh

National Conference (NC) and the Congress party have used the special status to Jammu and Kashmir as per their convenience, said Minister of State (MoS) for Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh on Saturday.

"This special status is an alibi created by the National Conference and Congress. When it suits them they are special, when it does not they aren't.

During the blackest era of independent India, during the Emergency, when the term of the state assemblies was extended to six years, the then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah, promptly adopted this legislation, without caring for special status. But just three years later, when it was reversed by the Morarji government, Abdullah again became special and refused.

As a result, even after 40 years today, J & K is the only state whose assembly has a six-year term," Singh told ANI here.

Singh also blamed NC for changing their stands as per their needs. "When it suits them they become faithful to the Constitution of India, when it doesn't they become special. It was Sheikh Abdullah who was put behind bars in Kodaikanal in 1953, by the then Congress government, till then he was talking about Kashmir being an integral part of India.

Suddenly he started speaking about the referendum, plebiscite, will of people to live with India and Pakistan etc. When he was restored back to the seat of power in 1975, he again started swearing by Kashmir," Singh said.

He targeted NC and Sheikh Abdullah by stating, "Abdullah set up a committee to justify his u-turn, called the Devidas Thakur Committee which came out with the conclusion that all the provisions of the Indian Constitution are in the interest of the people of J & K. The report was accepted by Sheikh Abdullah himself."

Singh pointed out that all provisions of the Constitution related to J & K have been made during Congress and NC rule.

"All the provisions of the Constitution of India which has been till date made applicable to the state of J & K has happened during Congress and NC rule. The merits and demerits of the Special Status apart, the sincerity to it itself smells of deep-rooted opportunism," he said.

-ANI