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First J&K Assembly Session in Six Years Erupts Over Article 370 Resolution

November 4, 2024:- The newly elected Jammu and Kashmir Assembly held its first session in six years on Monday, but it quickly turned chaotic. People's Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker Wahid Parra proposed a resolution against the scrapping of Article 370, which was revoked in August 2019.


Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members strongly opposed Parra's resolution. Assembly Speaker Rahim Rather, from the ruling National Conference (NC), stated that he had not yet admitted any such motion.


Chief Minister Omar Abdullah commented on the situation, stating, “The reality is that the people of J&K do not approve of the decision taken on August 5, 2019. If they had approved, then the results today would have been different.” He dismissed the resolution as meaningless and suggested it was just for show, saying, “If there was a purpose behind it, then they would have discussed this with us before.”


The BJP's decision to revoke Article 370 five years ago sparked widespread protests and was challenged in the Supreme Court. The court ruled in December that Article 370 was a "temporary" provision. This article previously granted Jammu and Kashmir special status and privileges. Following its removal, the central government divided the state into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.


Restoration of Article 370 was a key issue in the recent elections, the first in J&K in a decade. The NC-Congress alliance won on October 8, with the NC alone capturing 42 of the 90 seats. The party gained support from four independent lawmakers and the only Aam Aadmi Party representative to achieve a majority of 48.


Despite the NC’s victory, Abdullah warned against expecting the BJP to restore Article 370. He said, “Expecting those who took it away to restore it would be foolish.” However, he affirmed that the NC would continue to raise the issue, stating, “We have never said that we will remain silent on Article 370 or that it is not an issue for us now.”


The assembly's first session concluded amidst the uproar, leaving the future of Article 370 uncertain.

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