VHP Demands Action against J&K Leaders

New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on April 18 urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to initiate action under Model Code of Conduct against the leaders of political parties threatening and undermining the sovereignty, integrity and social harmony of the nation for political gains. Following statements by National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti of PDP on abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, the VHP said these J&K leader are threatening sovereignty of Bharat for political gains. The statements of these leaders should be seen in the light of Pakistan saying it is against abolishing of Article 370. The delegation was led by VHP working president Shri Alok Kumar and was comprised of VHP spokesperson Shri Vinod Bansal and working president of Delhi VHP Shri Vagish Issar.

According to reports, Omar Abdullah, on April 1, 2019 at an election rally in Bandipore, Kashmir, reportedly said: “Jammu & Kashmir will have to re-negotiate accession to India if Article 370 is abrogated. We will have its own prime minister, as was the situation after accession.” The same day, Mehbooba Mufti, said: “Let’s see. If you have to keep J&K with India, you have to do it on our conditions. This is a Muslim majority state. If it is tempered with, then they should forget Jammu & Kashmir.”

On April 4, 2019, she, in a rally and meeting of party worker in North Kashmir stated: “Article 370 is a matter of death and life for every Kashmiri and that the whole point behind talk of scrapping Article 370 is to attack the Muslim character of the state and to change the state’s demography. If they (Centre) revoke Article 370, which is the foundation of our relation with India, then this relation becomes illegitimate and illegal. If they do so, then it would be as good as an occupation force here in J&K. If guarantees provided for the state under the Constitution are removed, it will force us to reconsider whether we would like to continue with you (India).”

On April 8, 2019, Mehbooba said in Srinagar: “As far as Article 370 is concerned, I have been saying it again and again that 370 connects Jammu and Kashmir to the country. When you abrogate it, India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir becomes illegal, it becomes occupational force. When you will free Jammu and Kashmir from Article 370, you will free it from the country.” She went on threatening the nation: “Jammu and Kashmir is sitting on a pile of explosive, a glimpse of which you saw in Pulwama. If you ignite it, neither J&K would remain nor India.” Not only this, she tweeted on April 8, 2019: “Why waste time in court. Wait for BJP to scrap Article 370. It will automatically debar us from fighting elections since Indian Constitution won’t be applicable to J&K anymore. Na samjho gay tou mit jaouge aye Hindustan walo. Tumhari dastaan tak bhi na hogi dastaano main.”

On April 8, 2019, Farooq Abdullah, said: “Nobody in the state would be ready to raise the country’s flag if Article 370 is abrogated. They say abrogate Article 370. If you do that, the accession will not stand. I swear by god, in my opinion, it is the wish of god that we get freedom from them. Let them do, we will see, I will see, who would be ready to raise their flag then.”

“These statements of the aforesaid leaders exhibit that they are dancing at the tune of Pakistan which is the dreaded enemy of Bharat and is continuously waging war against our country. They are in total connivance and league with them and are acting under a well-planned conspiracy with their active support,” said the VHP memorandum given to the ECI.