BJP lawmakers quietly support J&K’s special status restoration: Deputy CM

Srinagar, Nov 6: Reacting sharply to the ruckus created by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) legislators over passing a resolution demanding the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by the J&K Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary said that “the narco tests of BJP members will reveal their demands are no different than what is in the resolution”.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the assembly session, the Deputy CM, who moved the resolution in the house, said that the BJP was protesting against it “under compulsion”.

“If they undergo narco tests, their demand will be same. We have spoken on their behalf because they cannot speak up because of their political compulsion,” he said.

The Deputy CM said that the BJP members were helpless and could not openly speak in support of the resolution saying that the resolution that the NC had brought was nothing new.

“The Home Minister has said in the Parliament that they will not let outsiders take the land in J&K and they will not let outsiders take the employment in J&K,” he said.

The Deputy CM said that the Home Minister also said that they would restore statehood to J&K when the situation gets better.

“We said a similar thing during our election campaign and in our manifesto and we fulfilled the same thing. We remind the Home Minister that this is his promise,” he said.

The Deputy CM said that he had written in his resolution that they wanted to strengthen the democracy of India.

“Living within that democracy, we have shown our right as the people of J&K. We have not talked about anything else,” he said.

The Deputy CM said that if the special status could be given to Himachal Pradesh and other Northeast states then why not to J&K?

“We too are part of the country and we have demanded democratic rights today. The government has taken this decision as per the aspirations of the youth across J&K,” he said.