Anurag Thakur, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), strongly criticised Congress and the National Conference (NC) for their alleged alignment with Pakistan on the issue of Article 370. Thakur's remarks came after Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khwaja Asif, suggested in an interview that Pakistan and the Congress-NC alliance shared the same stance on restoring Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Thakur emphasised that the support from Pakistan's Defence Minister for the Congress-NC position on Article 370 had fully exposed Congress in front of the Indian public. He accused the party of having an agenda aligned with anti-national forces. Thakur’s statements were a direct attack on the Congress and NC’s partnership, suggesting that their intentions regarding Article 370 were now evident for all to see.
He pointed out that Congress had a history of siding with Pakistan on various issues, referencing past instances when the party questioned the Indian Army’s actions during the Airstrike and Surgical strike operations.
According to Thakur, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of Congress, repeatedly took positions that appeared to align with those hostile to India’s interests, questioning why Gandhi often seemed to stand with groups opposed to national unity.
The controversy erupted after Khwaja Asif made a bold claim during an interview on Pakistan’s Geo News. When asked whether Pakistan and the National Conference-Congress alliance shared similar views on the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, Asif affirmed this alignment, stating that Pakistan’s demand for the restoration of the region’s special status matched that of the Congress-NC alliance.
Asif went further to claim that the return of Article 370 was a real possibility if the NC-Congress alliance came to power in Jammu and Kashmir. He noted that the issue had become central to the alliance's election campaign and that there was considerable public support for restoring Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
Thakur, in his criticism, questioned how many more lives would be lost if Article 370 were to return. He referenced the violence that occurred before the article was revoked, highlighting the deaths of tens of thousands of people in the region. In his view, the reinstatement of Article 370 would reopen wounds and disrupt the hard-earned peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
The revocation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status, has been a deeply contentious issue. The BJP has staunchly defended its decision to abolish the article, claiming it has brought development and integration to the region.
Meanwhile, parties like the Congress and National Conference have pledged to restore the region’s special status, a promise that continues to fuel political debates and election campaigns.
With Pakistan now openly supporting the Congress-NC alliance on this issue, BJP leaders are seizing the opportunity to portray their political rivals as being in league with a foreign nation, a tactic that resonates strongly with their voter base.
Thakur’s remarks reflect this strategy, as he sought to position the BJP as the defender of national unity, while painting Congress as a party aligned with forces that threaten the country’s sovereignty.
In the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir's ongoing political scenario, Thakur’s statements and the support from Pakistan’s Defence Minister have added fuel to an already charged atmosphere.
The issue of Article 370 continues to be a key topic in Jammu and Kashmir, with parties on both sides of the debate rallying their supporters ahead of upcoming elections.
While Congress has remained somewhat quiet on the issue, the National Conference has consistently voiced its commitment to restoring the region's special status. The BJP, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated that Article 370 is part of India’s past and will not return.
This political tug-of-war over Article 370 ensures that the issue will remain a central theme in both local and national political discourse for the foreseeable future.
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