NEW DELHI: People’s Conference Sajad Lone on Saturday alleged that the resolution passed in the recent Jammu and Kashmir assembly session lacked clarity and failed to explicitly demand the reinstatement of Article 370 and Article 35A.
“I am not able to understand that in the digital world, how can they (NC) lie like this. The resolution that we passed has no mention of Article 370, 35 A,” Lone said.
“It is an open-ended, vague and ambiguous document. Only two parties are saying that in the resolution they have mentioned Article 370 – National Conference and BJP. After the elections, the BJP and NC are on the same page. What was the compulsion that they did not mention about Article 370, 35 A,” he added.
This comes days after J&K assembly passed a resolution introduced by National Conference (NC) that calls on the Union government to initiate discussions on the restoration of the former state’s special status — revoked in 2019 with the abrogation of Article 370.
Though the resolution reaffirms the importance of J&K’s distinct identity, culture, and rights, it does not explicitly mention Article 370.
BJP legislators protested the timing of the resolution, claiming it broke legislative protocol. Leader of the opposition Sunil Sharma accused CM Omar Abdullah’s coalition govt of violating assembly procedures, as the day’s agenda was set to discuss the lieutenant governor’s address. Despite repeated adjournments due to BJP’s protests, speaker Abdur Rahim Rather put the resolution to vote and it passed with a majority.
CM Abdullah defended the resolution, asserting it was now the Centre’s responsibility to respond to the assembly’s call. NC MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi stressed that the move was only a preliminary step: “The fight won’t stop here as only the doors have been opened today through the assembly.”
The resolution found support from lawmakers outside the governing alliance, including three PDP members, three independents, and People’s Conference chief and party MLA Sajad Lone.