Latest news with #Article370
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
After Tharoor row, Salman Khurshid's take on Art 370 fresh headache for Congress
File photo: Congress leader Salman Khurshid (Picture credit: ANI) NEW DELHI: The all-party delegations visiting various countries to expose Pakistan post the Pahalgam attack seem to be becoming a headache for the Congress with senior party leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid's recent remarks backing nullification of Article 370 in 2019 by the Modi government likely to discomfit the Congress. This comes after another delegation member, Shashi Tharoor, faced strong criticism from within the party for his statement that India crossed the line of control (LoC) to conduct surgical strikes "for the first time" under the Modi government. While addressing think tanks and academia in Indonesia on Friday, Khurshid said it was unfortunate that Pakistan wants to undo the prosperity that has come to Jammu & Kashmir following the abrogation. Khurshid is part of one of the seven- all party delegations currently touring various countries. The Congress had initially opposed the move to scrap Article 370. The party later nuanced its position and has since been ambivalent on the issue of restoration of the Article which granted J&K special status. "Kashmir had a major problem for a long time. Much of that was reflected in the thinking of the government in an article called 370 of the Constitution, which somehow gave the impression that it was separate from the rest of the country. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Что происходит при сжигании лаврового листа? Undo But Article 370 was abrogated, it was finally put to an end, because so much time had passed.," Khurshid said while addressing the Indonesian think tanks and academia. "Subsequently, there was an election with 65% participation. There's an elected government in Kashmir today, and therefore, for people to want to undo everything that has happened, the prosperity that has come to Kashmir, it is very unfortunate. It will give a setback to anybody," Khurshid further said. While the senior leadership made no comment on Khurshid's remarks, unease within the party has been brewing ever since the government announced the names for the 51 members of the all-party delegations. The Congress had accused the Modi government of "complete insincerity" and for playing "cheap political games" while highlighting that "regrettably" only one of the four names suggested by the Congress leadership has been included. However, the opposition party relented, allowing "eminent" party members selected by the government to go with the delegations and make their contribution. The Congress had submitted the names of Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Syed Naseer Hussain, and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. However, the delegation finalised by the government includes Shashi Tharoor who is leading a delegation. There are also Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma, Salman Khurshid and Amar Singh in other delegations.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Ridiculous Rahul': BJP slams Congress after Salman Khurshid's support for Article 370, Op Sindoor
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) launched a fresh political offensive against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, after former external affairs minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid backed the BJP-led government's handling of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan , including the abrogation of Article 370 and India's military response under Operation Sindoor. Reacting to Khurshid's remarks, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Gandhi of parroting Pakistani propaganda. "Now, RR 'Ridiculous Rahul' will have to speak. His position is Leader of Opposition, but he is doing the work of a leader of Pakistani propaganda... Now, everything is clear. His own minister is saying that," Poonawalla said. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi was making decisions based on the advice of party leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, instead of relying on voices like Khurshid's. Referring to Khurshid's version of events during ceasefire talks with Pakistan, Poonawalla added: "From the fact that Salman Khurshid mentioned, one thing is clear: RR, who made decisions based on Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera's advice, will have to take Salman Khurshid's advice. " Khurshid, who is part of an all-party delegation currently touring Southeast Asia, said India had shown restraint during the cross-border military escalation. He revealed that the ceasefire was initiated by Pakistan, not India. "It is more than clear to everybody that the call came from the DGMO of Pakistan to the DGMO of India. And we stopped when they said 'Let's stop'... We then didn't send any further attacks on them," he told members of the Indian community in Jakarta. Khurshid clarified that the shelling from the Pakistani side continued even after hostilities had officially ceased, suggesting a lack of control within Pakistan's military and civilian leadership. 'There are factions within the army, each vying with the other to become powerful. Nevertheless, we showed restraint and patience," he said. In a strong endorsement of India's approach to Jammu and Kashmir , Khurshid said, 'Article 370 was abrogated and it was finally put to an end because so much time has passed… Subsequently, there was election and J&K observed 65% participation in election. There's an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir today.' Reiterating India's long-standing position, Khurshid stated, 'Nobody can be told to give up a part of your country, Kashmir and we are family together. Nobody can break up our family.' Speaking to ANI, Khurshid said talks with Pakistan could only happen if there is a verifiable commitment to peace and an end to terror activities. 'There is a long-standing unanimous resolution of Parliament of India saying that the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir must be re-vacated and given back to India,' he said. He also pointed to Pakistan's repeated betrayal of India's peace overtures, stressing that the Indus Waters Treaty would remain suspended until Islamabad ended its support for terrorism . 'The government has said clearly that talks can happen only when the commitment of Pakistan to peace is clear... and that includes the Indus Water Treaty being put in abeyance,' he added. Khurshid defended India's retaliatory strikes after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. 'We are taking several steps... trying to eliminate the terrorist hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir... when there was a retaliation without escalating any further, we responded... by neutralising the basis from which retaliation was coming,' he said. He also praised Indonesia's response to India's diplomatic outreach. 'I believe that Indonesia was far more supportive than we were even expecting,' he said, adding that Asean may take up the matter further in its upcoming meetings. Khurshid said Pakistan's narrative around the conflict was strongly rejected by Indonesia and other regional leaders. 'The so-called narrative that was pushed by the chief of army staff in Pakistan... was completely, completely negated and rejected in our conversations,' he noted. The all-party delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Brij Lal (BJP), John Brittas (CPM), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), Salman Khurshid, and Mohan Kumar. The delegations are part of a global diplomatic campaign following Operation Sindoor — launched on May 7 as a retaliatory measure against the Pahalgam attack. The operation targeted terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, reportedly eliminating over 100 militants affiliated with groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. Seven such multi-party delegations are travelling to more than 30 countries — including France, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa — to highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and counter Pakistan's global narrative.
Hans India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
‘Art 370 abrogation put an end to Kashmir problems'
New Delhi: Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who is part of the all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor outreach mission, has said in Indonesia that the scrapping of Article 370 ended the long-standing problem of separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. He said this while interacting with members of Indonesian think tanks and academia as part of an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation. 'Kashmir had a major problem for a long time. Much of that was reflected in the thinking of the government in an article called 370 of the Constitution, which somehow gave the impression that it was separate from the rest of the country. But Article 370 was abrogated, and it was finally put to an end,' he said. Article 370 of the Constitution accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir until it was revoked by the BJP-led government on August 5, 2019. After the abrogation, the state was bifurcated into Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Both were turned into union territories. Khurshid, who is accompanying a multiparty delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, also noted that the post-abrogation environment in Jammu and Kashmir has yielded progress. He cited the 65 per cent voter turnout in subsequent polls and the formation of an elected government in the union territory. 'Subsequently, there was an election with 65 per cent participation. There's an elected government in Kashmir today, and therefore, for people to want to undo everything that has the prosperity that has come to Kashmir. It would not be advisable,' he added. The delegation currently visiting Southeast Asia comprises representatives across political lines, including BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, Pradan Baruah, and Hemang Joshi, Trinamool Congress' Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M)'s John Brittas, and former Indian Ambassador Mohan Kumar.
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First Post
18 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
End of Article 370 brought prosperity in Kashmir, Pakistan aims to undo it: Salman Khurshid in Jakarta
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid hailed the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, insisting that the region has seen development since the move. Khurshid's remarks came during his visit to Indonesia as part of India's all-party delegation's outreach initiative. While dismantling false propaganda by Pakistan about the ongoing tensions with India, Khurshid brought up the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's landmark move in August 2019 to permanently scrap the article that gave special status to the former state of J&K. Khurshid was addressing the Indonesian think Tanks and Academia on Thursday. He is part of the delegation team, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In his remarks, the Congress leader called Article 370 a 'major problem" that was finally put to an end in 2019. Khurshid noted that there is a government in the region today which was elected with the participation of over 60 per cent of voters in the region, ANI reported. 'Kashmir had a major problem for a long time. Much of that was reflected in the thinking of the government in an article called Article 370 of the Constitution, which somehow gave the impression that it was separate from the rest of the country. But Article 370 was abrogated, and it was finally put to an end," the Congress MP said. 'Subsequently, there was an election with 65 per cent participation in the election. There's an elected government in Kashmir today, and therefore, for people to want to undo everything that has happened, the prosperity that has come to Kashmir," he added. Don't hyphenate between India and Pakistan Another crucial message Khurshid shared in Indonesia is the demand not to hyphenate India and Pakistan. On Friday, Khurshid noted that India cannot be reduced to the 'size' and 'stature' of Pakistan. 'We are asked, why did we stop?… We are not Pakistan; we are much larger than they are. We have a greater role in the world… We got respect not only for our strengths but also for showing confidence in our strengths. We had to do certain things to teach Pakistan a lesson, and then we stopped because we are not greedy for Pakistan, their territory, or to destroy them,' he said during an interaction with the Indian community in Indonesia, ANI. 'We only want to preserve and protect ourselves… We want to lead the world. And in that leadership role, we cannot reduce ourselves to the size and stature of Pakistan… We don't want a hyphen between India and Pakistan… Talk to us separately… The beauty of our plural culture, the beauty of how we live together and celebrate life together, is something that we want to show… We are patriots. We believe in humanity. We believe in our country because our country is our mother,' he furthered. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Congress leader made it clear that India did not initiate contact with Pakistan but rather received a call from the neighbouring nation's DGMO for cessation of hostilities during 'Operation Sindoor'. He noted that India has refrained from further attacks since then.
Hans India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
BJP MP Eatala accuses CM of double-speak on PM Modi, Centre
Hyderabad: Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender on Friday asked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to answer whether the Congress party was not the reason for the Kashmir issue to simmer even after 75 years of independence. 'Didn't the Congress party fuel the dispute by granting Kashmir a degree of independence?' he questioned. Taking strong exception to CM Revanth Reddy's speech during the Jai Hind rally, he asked, 'If Indira Gandhi had taken control of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during the Indo-Pakistan war, would India be in this situation today?' The BJP MP said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the hero who abrogated Article 370 and made Kashmir an integral part of India. He charged that the Congress party and its leaders talk about national security like demons reciting Vedas. 'The words they speak meant for rhyme and political gains are damaging the self-confidence of our soldiers. Accusing CM Revanth of double speak, he said that the Chief Minister praises Modi in Delhi but abuses him in the streets. His ministers applaud the work of the Centre but the CM abuses the Centre. That exposes the true colours of CM Revanth Reddy, he added.
