Kejriwal supports Centre’s decision

‘No similarities with Statehood of Delhi’

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain after a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. (PTI Photo/Vijay Verma) (PTI7_24_2018_000151B)

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his party supports the Centre’s decision to end special status for Jammu and Kashmir.

The AAP national convener’s comments came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved a resolution in both the Houses of Parliament that Article 370 would be amended.

“We hope this will bring peace and development in the State,” Mr. Kejriwal tweeted.

BJP takes a jibe

The Delhi BJP was quick to seize the opportunity to criticise Mr. Kejriwal for what it termed was his “doublespeak” and demanded that the AAP government give its nod for prosecution sanction in the Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition case.

“He [Mr. Kejriwal] should apologise [to the people of Delhi] for demanding proof of the surgical strike and for questioning the Balakot strike. He should stop supporting the

tukde tukde gang, give prosecution sanction in the [JNU sedition] case. The people will not be able to forgive him otherwise,” said Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari.

The sedition case pertains to raising of “objectionable” slogans at an event on JNU campus in 2016 against the hanging of Afzal Guru, the mastermind behind the 2013 Parliament attack. Meanwhile, AAP sought to dispel similarities being drawn between the situation in J&K and the Capital regarding Statehood. “The Kashmir situation is opposite to that of Delhi. We cannot compare the Kashmir situation with that of Delhi and Puducherry,” the party said. “Two-thirds of original Kashmir is under the occupation of Pakistan and China. There were around 150 incidents of infiltration that occurred last year in Kashmir. We cannot compare a peaceful State with a disturbed border State,” it added.