Removal of Article 370 only viable solution to Kashmir Issue: BJP

Amid a raging debate over autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP’s state unit today said removal of Article 370, which grants special status to the state, was the only viable solution to the decades-old problem.
“Removal of Article 370 and bringing Jammu and Kashmir on par with other states is the only viable solution to the issue,” BJP state spokesperson Prof. Virender Gupta said in a statement here.
“This would be a befitting reply to separatists and Pakistan who are supporting and nourishing terrorism in the state and will pave the way to bring the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those of the Valley, into the national mainstream,” Gupta said.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram’s remark on Saturday that “when the people of Jammu and Kashmir ask for “azadi”, most of them mean greater autonomy” had invited sharp criticism from the BJP.
“It speaks of the mindset of the Congress from the very beginning,” Gupta said criticising the statement of Chidambaram and claimed that “it provided fuel to separatists who have waged a war against India at the behest of Pakistan and are threatening the unity and integrity of the country.”