The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has asserted that dilution of Article 370 would strengthen the security, safety and integrity of India and should not be viewed through any other narrow prism. He was delivering the 1st Balramji Dass Tandon Memorial Lecture, at Panjab University in Chandigarh today.
Stating that the state of Jammu and Kashmir has always been an integral part of our country and it would remain so.
The Vice President bemoaned that a section of the western media was indulging in false propaganda on the situation in Kashmir post dilution of Article 370.
In this context, Naidu referred to a news article published by a national daily in 1964, the Vice President said that MPs cutting across party lines including those from ruling party almost unanimously supported a non official resolution seeking abrogation of Article 370.
Reading out details of the news item, Naidu said that the non official resolution moved by Prakash Vir Shastri in Lok Sabha was supported by leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia. Of the 12 members who favoured abrogation of Article 370, seven belonged to the Congress including Inder J Malhotra, Sham Lal Saraf (from J&K) and K Hanumanthaiya, senior Congress leader from Karnataka
He also quoted a report published by another national daily in 1963 in which, the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru told the Lok Sabha that the process of gradual erosion of Article 370 was going on and fresh steps were being taken in that direction.
Speaking at the Balram Das Tandon Memorial Lecture in Chandigarh, he said the Parliament took the decision that this transitory provision needs to go and Jammu & Kashmir must be fully integrated with the rest of India. “It is expected that this will pave the way for faster development of this State in the years to come. People across the country are rejoicing over the abrogation of Article 370,” he added.
