Srinagar: Farooq Abdullah, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, took strong exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks yesterday on Article 370 of the constitution and that it had only helped propagate dynastic rule in the erstwhile state. "If Article 370 was this bad, how did Jammu and Kashmir ever make progress," he questioned.
PM Modi, in his first visit to Srinagar yesterday since the scrapping of Article 370, had called it a "new Jammu and Kashmir" that was the result of the scrapping of the erstwhile state's special status.
"For decades, for political gains, Congress and its allies misled people in the name of Article 370. But today there are equal rights and opportunities for all. The people know the truth... they were misled... This is the new Jammu and Kashmir for which we all were waiting,' he had said.
Shortly after, Farooq Abdullah -- a three-time Chief Minister of the erstwhile state -- hit back.
"If Article 370 was this bad -- I would like the Prime Minister to re-hear the speech made in the Rajya Sabha by then Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, in which he compared two states. He compared Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir in terms of progress when Article 370 was there," Farooq Abdullah said.
"Now, if Article 370 and nepotism are responsible, then how did we make that progress? It is the people's rule, I lost the election as a chief minister. So, where is the dynastic rule?" Mr Abdullah said. "This dynastic rule is a kind of common voice I heard also in parliament. In every speech that PM makes, he makes a particular target on it".
The former Chief Minister also pointed out that the scrapping of Article 370 has made education expensive.
Education from the level of primary schools to universities was free, he said. "Today, education is only free up to the 14th class. In the universities, you have to pay now. An honest commission has to be put to see what was there before the revoke of Article 370 and what was is thereafter," Mr Abdullah said.