: Ruling coalition partners, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Tuesday witnessed a major face-off over CM Mehbooba Mufti’s remarks on Article 370.
“Article 370 represents J&K’s pluralistic ethos...it is also linked to the political character of the State…nothing can be more anti-national than talking about abrogation of J&K’s special position,” Ms. Mufti told the Assembly on Monday.
The remarks invited a sharp reaction from BJP legislators, with Speaker Kavinder Gupta calling for a “clarification from the Chief Minister”, hinting at expunging the remarks.
Speaker Gupta said there was “a thought process that Article 370 should not be there” and he will go through the records. “Ms. Mufti can clarify things herself,” said Mr. Gupta.
The BJP criticism of Ms. Mufti inside the Assembly has provided a handle to opposition parties too.
Independent MLA Engineer Rasheed asked the PDP-BJP coalition to call off the alliance “as these two parties preaching inside the Assembly are contradictory”.
Opposition NC sought clarification from Ms. Mufti on her remarks while supporting the PDP stand on Article 370. “There have been repeated attempts to use the judicial route to somehow weaken Article 370 and Article 35A. We welcome her stand with a hope that the she stands by what she has said,” said NC spokesman Junaid Mattu.
Without naming the BJP, Ms. Mufti had also condemned “certain elements of moving judiciary to dilute Article 370”.
For the first time ever since Ms. Mufti joined hands with the BJP to rule the State last year that the two coalition partners saw themselves on a collision course.
