Chennai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted Sunday that removal of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution will put an end to terrorism and lead to progress of the region.
Speaking at the launch of a book on Vice-President M Venkiah Naidu’s two years in office here, Shah said he firmly believed Art 370 that gave the special status to Jammu and Kashmir should be removed as it was not beneficial to the country.
“I was firm that Article 370 should be removed… after (scrapping) Article 370, terrorism in Kashmir will end and it will progress on the path of development,” Amit Shah said adding there was not an iota of confusion in his mind on what will happen post the path-breaking move.
Amit Shah stated that the BJP-led government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘has made this country free from Article 370’.
Shah credited M Venkiah Naidu, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, for the deft handling of the situation when he moved the bills related to Jammu and Kashmir in the Upper House, saying he had some ‘apprehensions’ of a repeat of scenes witnessed during the division of Andhra Pradesh.
“While piloting the bill there were apprehensions on how the Rajya Sabha will act when I take it there. Because we don’t have complete majority there… Still I had decided we will take the bill first to Rajya Sabha and after that to the Lok Sabha,” Shah informed.
“I had a small apprehension if I will also become a stakeholder of such ugly scenes. But it did not happen because of M Venkiah Naidu. “Even today I want to acknowledge his efficiency in handling the affairs of the House,” Shah added.
BJP president Shah, who is a Lok Sabha member, said as a legislator there was no confusion in his mind whether Article 370 should be scrapped or not.
“I firmly believe there was no benefit to the country from it, or for Kashmir. It should have been removed earlier. As a Home Minister, there was not an iota of confusion in my mind on what will happen after Article 370,” Ami Shah asserted.
Shah also recalled Naidu’s student day politics and him espousing the party’s ideology with regard to Kashmir, saying once a Communist professor had questioned the vice-president why he was struggling for the state which he had not seen.
“To this Naidu had replied that one eye cannot see the other, but can feel its pain,” Shah said.
PTI
