Article 370 will never be brought back: Union Minister Kishan Reddy

New Delhi : On the 5th anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K, Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy said on Monday that no matter what the Congress or other parties say, the clause will never be brought back.

On August 5, 2019, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, a historic decision was taken in Parliament to remove Article 370, he said.

He attacked the opposition parties and said, "The Congress and the National Conference are saying even today that if they come to power in Jammu and Kashmir, they will bring back Article 370. I want to assure you that neither the National Conference nor the Congress will come to power in Jammu and Kashmir and neither will Article 370 be brought back."

"Under the leadership of PM Modi Ji, we have done much development work in the last 5 years. The rights given to the people have been implemented by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar's Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir," he told IANS.

"Development will accelerate in Jammu and Kashmir and we will create a new Jammu and Kashmir. We will try to bring light in the hearts of people. We will form the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties, including the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have criticised the BJP for celebrating the day.

However, the BJP and its supporters view the move as a correction of a historic error and a step towards full integration and development, Opposition parties see it as the degradation of the region's status and identity.

On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian Union. The Centre also brought the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act that bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.