Will work towards removing Article 370 when we’ve numbers in Parliament: BJP

“As far as the abrogation of Article 370 is concerned, it continues to be part of the core ideology of BJP but right now we don’t have enough numbers in Parliament to do away with it, but in future when we have the required numbers we will work towards its removal,” BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here today.

Repealing Article 370, which grants special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, would require a two-third majority in Parliament as the Constitution would have to be amended.

Patra said BJP and PDP are ideologically different but both the parties came together to provide a stable government to the people of the state and for the sake of development.

“People here want development, the coalition has provided a historic opportunity, respecting the mandate of the people of all the three regions, now it should become a successful experiment for the sake of good governance and development,” he said.

Patra said “small controversies” do crop up when the coalition partners have differences in their core ideology but the Jammu and Kashmir government was being guided by the common minimum programme agreed upon by the two parties in the form of agenda for alliance.

Accusing Congress of running a disinformation campaign against the Narendra Modi government, the BJP spokesperson said it was during the UPA tenure that major corporations were being benefited whereas the current government was working for the welfare of the poor.

“The UPA government, led by Congress, gave away coal blocks and spectrum to benefit these corporate houses, but the current government has benefited by selling the same to these corporate and the money is being used for the welfare of the poor,” he said.