Article 370 of the Constitution is a bridge between Jammu and Kashmir and India and if it goes, people in the state will be forced to think if they want to be with New Delhi or not, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday.

Addressing activists of her Peoples Democratic Party, she said if Article 370 was scrapped, new conditions would have to be worked out between Jammu and Kashmir and India.

In such an eventuality, the people of the country's only Muslim-majority state would be forced to think whether they want to remain with India or not, she said.

"If you break that bridge (Article 370), then you will have to renegotiate the relationship between India and Jammu and Kashmir."

Mehbooba Mufti's statement came in response to a comment made by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that Article 35A was constitutionally vulnerable and an impediment to the economic development of Jammu and Kashmir.

--IANS

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