Srinagar
Peoples Democratic party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said defending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was not confined to a particular region or religion anymore as the people of the state have realised its importance and sanctity.
Mehbooba was referring to the reports of two of BJP MLAs from Jammu region coming out in support of Article 35-A, which is facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court.
Taking to social networking site Twitter, Mehooba wrote: “Heartening to know that two MLAs from BJP, Rajesh Gupta followed by Dr Gagan (Bhagat), have raised their voice in defence of Article 35-A. Defending the special status of J-K is not confined to a region or religion anymore. People of the state have realised its importance & (and) sanctity.”
“For the past two years, while our government was fighting the case legally in court, I stood alone in this political battle emphasising that any dilution of Article 35 A will set the state on fire,” Mehbooba wrote.
“Today I feel relieved that regardless of political views or affiliations, we are all on the same page as far as protecting the special status of J-K is concerned,” she wrote.
The Supreme Court had, on August 6, said that a three-judge bench would decide whether the pleas challenging Article 35-A should be referred to a five-judge Constitution bench for examining the larger issue of alleged violation of the doctrine of the basic structure of the Constitution.
On August 6, 2018, the Supreme Court deferred the hearing on Article 35A till August 27.
