CPI asks Centre to spell out its plan of action in J&K

NDA government was questioned by CPI over Shah's statement on Jammu and Kashmir's status. Shah had said on Friday that Article 370 of the Constitution, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was "temporary in nature" and "not permanent".

Bhubaneswar:Asserting that the Jammu and Kashmir issue was not just related to law and order or security, the Communist Party of India (CPI) asked the NDA government at the Centre on Sunday to spell out what exactly it wanted to do in that state.

CPI national secretary D Raja also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "forcing" the regional parties to toe its line and claimed that the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha was "compelled" to support the saffron party.

"We have seen Union Home Minister Amit Shah giving a highly-provocative speech on Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha. The present government should spell out what exactly it wants to do in Jammu and Kashmir," he told media.

Shah had said on Friday that Article 370 of the Constitution, which provided for special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was "temporary in nature" and "not permanent".

Raja said that the government should understand that the Jammu and Kashmir issue was not just related to the law-and-order situation in the state or security.

"It is a political issue and it should have a political solution. There is no such effort in this regard," he said.

"Rajnath Singh, the Union home minister before Shah, had taken a political delegation to Jammu and Kashmir, which had proposed to the government to engage all the stakeholders and political parties for a solution in this regard," the CPI veteran said.

"The government should take the political parties into confidence. That is not being done. He (Shah) questions Article 370. Therefore, it is not clear what exactly the present government thinks of Jammu and Kashmir," Raja added.

Opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "One Nation, One Election" (ONOE) theory, he said that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was in favour of such a move.

"We are not opposing it for the sake of opposition. ONOE is unrealistic, unconstitutional and anti-federal in nature. One has to change the present Constitution in order to adopt ONOE," Raja said.

It was an attempt to pave the way for a presidential form of government in the country, he alleged, adding that the theory was rejected by Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.

The CPI leader also sought a clarification from the Centre as to why did it not hold the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, where the Governor's rule was in force currently.

Assembly elections were due in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand this year, he pointed out, wondering how the ONOE theory could be implemented during these polls.

"With a vast majority in the Lok Sabha, they (BJP-led NDA) allow all divisive forces to go ahead and do whatever they want to do. The situation is going to be worse in the coming days," Raja said.

Terming mob-lynching as a "major problem", he said that the prime minister should condemn it publicly.

The Left leader also claimed that the BJD was "compelled" to support the saffron party.

He accused the ruling BJP of "deliberately utilising" probe agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against rival parties.

"The nexus between the BJD and the BJP has been exposed after the 2019 general election. During the polls, they were helping each other and they are doing it even after the polls," Raja said, adding, that the BJD is supporting the BJP under pressure.

Denying the charge, Odisha BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said that the people of the country had rejected the Left parties.

"The CPI's statement shows its political bankruptcy," he said.

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