New Delhi: After prominent leaders in Congress like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Janardan Dwivedi, and Deepinder Hooda came out in support of revoking Article 370, another senior Congress leader, Dr. Karan Singh, has welcomed the Central government’s move.
Interestingly, Karan Singh is son of the former Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, who signed the Instrument of Accession agreeing to accede to India on 26 October, 1947.
In a statement the veteran congress leader said that revoking Article 370 has received support of Parliament and from all across India which includes Jammu and Kashmir.
He added that he disagrees with condemning the Central government’s decision and reminded that there are many positive points by scrapping the Article.
He welcomed the creation of Ladakh as an Union Territory which the Reorganization Bill proposes. Accordingly, Ladakh will be separated from Jammu and Kashmir with Union territory status. The region will come under the direct control of the Central government which can now administer it more efficiently.
Dr. Karan Singh also brought out the injustice in Article 35A against women which barred them from marrying outside the state.
The Congress leader welcomed the article by saying that Article 35A was also anti-Dalit by neglecting the reservations to which they are due. This was because that the laws of India did not apply to the state of Jammu and Kashmir as long as these Articles were in force.
He also added that the move would lead to the long awaited enfranchisement of refugees coming from Western Pakistan.
Karan Singh asked the public not to call the two regional political parties in Kashmir as ‘anti-national’ and called for dialogue to bring peace. He said that at all costs violence must be eschewed and communal harmony should be maintained.
Dr. Karan Singh had served as the first and last, regent or Sadr-i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir after his father Maharaja Hari Singh stepped down.
He held prominent positions during Congress rule and served as Cabinet Minister. He was also Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, JNU, Jammu and Kashmir University, and NIIT University.
