'Article 370 was elephant in the room, prevented curbing terrorism'

'Article 370 was elephant in the room, prevented curbing terrorism'

The government said on Monday that removing Article 370 was necessary as it had led to terrorism and came in the way of curbing corruption in Jammu and Kashmir.

The government slammed the Kashmiri political parties represented by former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti for constantly speaking against abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.

In a detailed booklet explaining the rationale behind the revocation of Article 370 and provision of 35A, the government said that anti-corruption provisions like Right to Information and Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) were not application in Jammu and Kashmir because of this article.

The Article was the elephant in the room, the government said.

The government said the state will prosper after axing Article 370, social amalgamation will reduce threat to militancy, Kashmir will become one of the top tourist destinations and it will also prove to be good diplomacy to deal with Pakistan over territorial disputes.

In an unprecedented move, the Centre has scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah proposed in the Rajya Sabha to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir amid uproar by opposition members.

President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the notification to abrogate the Article of the Indian Constitution.

The government, which listed four bills and legislative proposals before the Rajya Sabha, intends to get the resolution passed by the end of the day.

Meanwhile, NSA Ajit Doval is expected to visit Kashmir valley today along with other senior security officials to review the situation on the ground.

Doval had earlier visited Srinagar in the last week of July before the implementation of the decision to revoke Article 370.

Following his visit, a massive security build-up was witnessed in the state stoking fears of abrogation of Article 35A or Article 370.

Majority of the political parties including the Aam Aadmi Party have extended their support to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill.

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