Farooq Abdullah never said Art 370 would be restored with China's help, BJP twisting his remarks: NC

SRINAGAR: The National Conference (NC) Monday denied that its President Farooq Abdullah had said Article 370 would be restored with the help of China and accused the BJP of "completely twisting" his remarks made during a TV interview.

The party affirmed that Abdullah never justified China's expansionist mindset or its aggression during his interview on Sunday as claimed by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra at a presser in New Delhi earlier in the day.

"Our President articulated the people's anger over the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A by Parliament on August 5 last year as he has consistently done in recent months.

He emphasised that no one in Jammu and Kashmir was willing to accept these changes," an NC spokesman said.

He claimed that Abdullah's comments on China in response to a question have been "completely twisted" by Patra, who accused the NC President of justifying Chinese aggression and expansionist mindset.

"Sambit Patra has a habit of twisting words and using the bully pulpit of the BJP office to lie when it suits the political agenda of his party," the NC spokesman said.

"Dr Abdullah never said that together with China we will bring back Article 370 as Mr Patra claimed at a media briefing in which he also misquoted some previous statements of Dr Abdullah,".

Earlier in the day, Patra accused Abdullah of making "seditious and anti-national" remarks on the issue of restoring the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and said he had become a "hero in China".

He said the National Conference MP and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in his interview had stated that "with China's support", Article 370 of the Constitution, which conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir, will be restored.