Shahnawaz Hussain: Article 370 buried, will never return

BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain. (File)

Article 370, which was revoked by the Centre last year, “could never be restored in Jammu and Kashmir”, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said on Friday. He also denied claims that the results of the upcoming polls to the District Development Councils (DDC) would will be a referendum on the Centre’s August 5 decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.

“We believe that when someone dies, he cannot return from the grave. Article 370 has also been buried and it will never return. It can never be restored and no world power can help in its restoration,” Hussain said.

When asked if the BJP loses the DDC polls, would it mean that the people of Kashmir have not accepted the abrogation of Article 370, he said: “This is not a referendum. This is a local body election, about local issues. This is not about national politics.”

Hussain said that parties under the banner of “Gupkar alliance” were “misleading” people by making promises of its restoration. “They are showing the people dreams and misleading them. There is no big a lie than that. These are the same leaders who were claiming Article 370 cannot be scrapped and even stated that nobody in J&K will raise the Tricolour if it is scrapped. However, the people are now raising the Tricolour without any objection,” he said.

The BJP national spokesperson, who has been designated election in-charge for J&K, said the people of J&K do not need to fear for their land, “it is all propaganda”.

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