New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Karan Singh Wednesday said National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah’s remarks on restoring the special status of Jammu and Kashmir were “totally unacceptable” and could provoke “unrealistic expectations” among the people of Kashmir.
“My old friend Farooq Abdullah has made an astounding statement to the effect that Article 370 will be restored with China’s support,” Singh said.
“I can understand his rage and frustration at recent events, including the fact that he was under house-arrest for a year, an emotion that large sections in the Kashmir Valley share. However, his recent articulation is totally unacceptable. It will tend to, once again, provoke totally unrealistic expectations among the people of Kashmir,” he said in a statement.
The National Conference has denied Abdullah said Article 370 would be restored with “China’s support”. It asserted that Abdullah never justified China’s expansionism or its aggression during his interview to a TV channel on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Singh, the former Sadr-e-Riyasat and ex-governor of J&K, welcomed the release of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti after 14 months in detention and hoped she and Abdullah will strengthen the democratic process by taking their agenda to the people once elections take place.
“That is the only way political stability can be restored in the state so that developmental activities in both the regions can gather momentum,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Jammu, the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal (RBD) held a protest today against Farooq Abdullah for his alleged statement.
The National Conference on Monday had denied that Abdullah had made such a remark and accused the BJP of “completely twisting” his remarks made during a TV interview last week.
Amid chants of “desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro saalo ko” (shoot the traitors), dozens of RBD activists led by their leader Rakesh Bajrangi appeared at the Residency Road here and tried to move towards the headquarters of the National Conference.
However, policemen who were posted in strength foiled their attempt and pushed them back.
The protesters set ablaze an effigy of Abdullah.
