Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The historic Supreme Court verdict on Monday upholding the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and reorganisation of the state has evoked a mixed reaction among politicians with former state chief ministers, Omar Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti, expressing their disappointment.
Azad called the top court’s verdict as sad and unfortunate, and claimed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are not happy with it.
Omar Abdullah said he was disappointed but not disheartened. “The struggle will continue. It took the BJP decades to reach here. We are also prepared for the long haul. #WeShallOvercome #Article370,” Omar said on his X-post.
“We had knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court because we were hoping for justice…We respect the Supreme Court…Our attempts will not end here. Will we approach the courts again? We will decide this after legal consultations,” he said.
Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Peoples’ Democratic Party and former chief minister said, “The people of J&K are not going to lose hope or give up. Our fight for honour and dignity will continue regardless. This isn’t the end of the road for us.”
She further said: “…We should not be disheartened… J&K has seen several ups and downs… SC’s verdict stating Article 370 was a temporary provision, is not our defeat, but the defeat of the idea of India.”
Senior Congress leader and former ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ Dr. Karan Singh, who is the son of the last Dogra ruler of the state Maharaja Hari Singh, welcomed the decision. He said: “A section of people in Jammu and Kashmir who will not be happy with this judgment, my sincere advice is that they should accept the inevitable and they should accept the fact that now this has been done and the Supreme Court has upheld the action and therefore there’s no point now unnecessarily hitting their head against the wall.”
He added, “Now my suggestion is that they should turn their energies towards fighting the next elections. That is where the people should now be motivated instead of developing any negativity.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the Supreme Court’s decision emphasising its role in strengthening national unity. Shah expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating it validated the constitutional nature of the Article 370 abrogation. In a social media post, he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary decision in 2019 for restoring peace and normalcy to the region, fostering growth and development. Shah highlighted the positive impact on sectors like tourism and agriculture, elevating the standard of living for residents.
BJP chief J.P. Nadda also welcomed the verdict, stating it upheld the removal of Article 370 and 35A, recognising its constitutional validity and objectives. The decision was seen as a reinforcement of national integrity and unity in the region.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the “Himalayan constitutional blunder of the past” had been corrected by the Centre as the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the constitutionality of the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehta issued a statement shortly after the top court delivered its judgement on a batch of petitions challenging the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, the senior lawyer deemed the court’s take on the issue and interpretation of the law as a historical day for him too.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray welcomed the verdict, saying: “We welcome this decision because we supported the removal of Article 370. We hope the J&K elections will be held at the earliest. Before elections, if PoK is included, then this exercise can be held in the entire Kashmir…”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant said, “We welcome the decision but things like rehabilitation of Hindus, putting an end to terrorism, making the people of J&K joining the mainstream have not happened yet.”
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram hoped that the government would restore full statehood to J&K and allow the people to elect their representatives.
In Kashmir, local BJP leaders welcomed the decision saying that it vindicates the party’s stand on J&K’s total integration with the rest of the country.
Syed Altaf Bukhari told IANS, “I accept the honourable Supreme Court decision with a heavy heart. I am sure that our next generation of youth would not be now deceived by false and hollow assurances given to them by some politicians which left hundreds killed here.”
Sajad Gani Lone, president of People’s Conference, said on his X-post, “The Supreme Court verdict on Article 370 is disappointing. Justice yet again eludes the people of J and K. Article 370 may have been legally obliterated but will always remain a part of our political aspirations.
“In the case of statehood, the Supreme Court sidestepped even commenting on it, thus protecting the entire country from any future misuse, by citing precedence. Yet the same misuse was subtly endorsed in J&K. Let us hope at a future date justice wakes up from its slumber of pretence”.
Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah claimed that they were put under house arrest by the police in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s verdict on Article 370.
The PDP, in a tweet, alleged that the police had sealed the doors of Mufti’s residence before the announcement of the Article 370 verdict. Simultaneously, the NC claimed in a tweet that Omar Abdullah was “locked up inside his house”.
However, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha refuted these claims, labelling them as “baseless”. Umar Abdullah responded, questioning the denial, stating that the chains on his gate were not put by himself.
