Srinagar, September 28 (Scoop News)-Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Sunil Sharma, today said that the Assembly session should remain focused on public welfare, development and issues concerning the people of Jammu and Kashmir, rather than being used to reopen settled constitutional questions.
Sharma reiterated that the BJP is firmly committed to the restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and said the party would support any resolution confined exclusively to this issue.
“Statehood is the agenda of the BJP, and we are firmly committed to it. If the Chief Minister brings only a Statehood resolution, we will support it. Statehood will be restored, but such a sensitive matter cannot be rushed or dictated by unilateral deadlines,” Sharma said.
Objecting to the government resolution, Sharma said that references to the 2000 autonomy resolution and the 2024 special-status resolution have unnecessarily mixed the issue of Statehood with matters relating to the erstwhile constitutional arrangement of Jammu and Kashmir.
“If the resolution is about Statehood, then it should remain about Statehood. Why are references to the 2000 resolution and the pre-1953 constitutional position being brought into it? These are separate issues,” he said.
Sharma also sought clarity from the Congress party on its position, asking whether it supports restoration of the constitutional arrangement that existed before 1953, including provisions associated with Article 370 and Article 35A.
“Congress supported the National Conference on this resolution. It must now tell the people clearly whether it supports bringing back the pre-1953 constitutional arrangement and Article 370 and Article 35A,” Sharma said.
Referring to the security sensitivity of Jammu and Kashmir, the Leader of Opposition cautioned against raising issues that, in his view, could be exploited by forces seeking to disturb peace in the region.
“Jammu and Kashmir is a sensitive region and we have neighbours who always try to take advantage of internal issues and disturb peace. There is no room for any Pakistan agenda in J&K. Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India,” he asserted.
Sharma questioned Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather for allowing the resolution to be taken up despite objections raised by the BJP in the House.
“The Speaker should have considered the objections raised by the opposition. The Legislative Assembly cannot be allowed to become a platform for reopening contentious constitutional issues under the cover of a Statehood resolution,” Sharma said.
He said the BJP has moved a motion seeking the removal of the Speaker and would continue to raise the matter through democratic and constitutional means.
On the reference to the pre-1953 position, Sharma said that the political settlement reflected in the 1975 Sheikh-Indira Accord cannot be ignored while attempting to revive an earlier constitutional arrangement. He also referred to the National Conference’s own political positions on the issue over the years.
Sharma announced that the BJP would launch protests across Jammu and Kashmir against the resolution, particularly against its references to the pre-1953 constitutional position.
“From Lakhanpur to Teetwal, the BJP will oppose this attempt to reopen issues that have no place in a resolution on Statehood. We will continue to expose the government’s failures on governance and development and raise the issues that directly concern the people,” Sharma said.
He reiterated that the BJP’s position is clear: the party supports restoration of Statehood, but will oppose any attempt to combine the Statehood issue with demands concerning the erstwhile constitutional arrangement of Jammu and Kashmir.
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