Modi, Shah kept silent when issue of restoring Article 370 came up: J&K CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami
It was conveyed to PM that nothing less than what was guaranteed by Constitution was acceptable to J and K’s people, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami who attended all-party meeting, told NH
CPI(M) leader and former MLA from Kulgam assembly seat Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami was part of the group of leaders from Jammu and Kashmir which met with PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday evening in Delhi.
During the meeting, which lasted about three hours, Tarigami raised various issues from restoring statehood to the restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Tarigami, PM Modi did not give any timeframe for the restoration of statehood and maintained a studied silence when the issue of restoring Article 370 came up.
Here are edited excerpts of an interview with him:
How was the meeting with PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah? Did they give any timeframe for the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir?
The PM said in the meeting that he is committed to restore statehood and democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. He, however, did not give any timeframe.
Which issues did you raise in the meeting?
On behalf of CPI(M), I told the PM that while holding such a meeting was a welcome step, it would have been better if the meeting had been held before August 5, 2019, when the Centre did away with Article 370 and bifurcated the state of J&K into two Union territories. I told the PM that all political parties from Jammu and Kashmir had appealed to the government not to take that step, but it did not pay any heed at that time. Now the government wants talks…
The second thing I said was that nothing less than what was guaranteed by the Constitution would be acceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We must follow what the Constitution guarantees to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, I told the PM and the Home Minister during the meeting. I said the people of Jammu and Kashmir believe that constitutional boundaries laid down by the Constituent Assembly have been violated by the government.
How much time was allotted? What did the PM say after listening to you and others?
Both the PM and HM listened carefully. Each of us was given enough time to speak in the meeting. There was no constraint of time. It took about three hours to conclude the meeting.
The PM said points/issues raised by us had been jotted down and the government will convene a follow up meeting also. He said let us work for the future together.
Modi said he was happy to meet all of us. He also said his government was concerned about the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said ideas shared by the leaders will help in restoring statehood.
What did Home Minister Amit Shah say in the meeting?
The Home Minister said two things. One, he urged all of us to participate in the delimitation process and said that once the delimitation process was completed, elections will be held at the earliest. Second, he said that the PM and he himself were committed to restoring statehood, which will be done at an appropriate time.
But he did not give any timeframe? Did you or any one of you question him as to why the government is not giving a timeframe?
I intervened. Ghulam Nabi Azad also intervened. Azad emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir should not be governed by an LG, but should be given full statehood. They only said statehood would be restored at the earliest.
What will be the criterion for the delimitation? Will it be done on the basis of population or the area?
The Home Minister said that delimitation would be done based on recommendations given by political parties. To this, I intervened and said that when delimitation was constituted, Assam and other states were also included. If you can hold elections in Assam without delimitation, why is this government insisting on delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir?
Did you raise the issue of Article 370 also in the meeting? If yes, what was the government’s response?
The government did not say anything on Article 370. They were silent on it.
Will statehood without Article 370 be acceptable to you?
As I said in the beginning, we want what the Constituent Assembly had promised to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, later incorporated by the Constitution under Article 370.
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