SRINAGAR: A Sikh group -- All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) -- Tuesday staged protest in support of Article 35A, which grants special privileges to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, and vowed to fight for the protection of the law.
The members of APSCC assembled at Pratap Park in Srinagar and staged a peaceful protest in favour of Article 35A, which bars outsiders from purchasing land and property in the State and bars them from J&K government jobs and scholarships. Carrying placards with banners, the Sikh protestors were shouting slogans in support of Article 35A.
"Article 35A is life of matter and death for people of Jammu and Kashmir and we will defend it. We won't allow its tinkering," they said. Addressing the protestors, APSCC chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said people of J&K are emotionally and mentally attached with Article 35-A. "We will hit the roads to safeguard this law. Any attempt to tinker with the law will be opposed tooth and nail by people of state irrespective of caste, creed, region and religion," he said.
The Sikh leader urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to avoid playing politics on Kashmir. "The talk regarding abrogation of Article 35A is closely linked with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in India."
"Modi wants to ride on the mileage out of the abrogation of Article 35A so that BJP emerges victorious in 2019 parliamentary elections. It is unfortunate that BJP and more so the PM is concerned about electoral gains rather than the consequences that would emerge if Article 35A is abrogated," he said.
The Sikh leader also supported the two-day strike called by separatists on August 26 and 27 against any attempt to tinker with Article 35A. He warned that any tinkering with Article 35-A would lead to violence in the State and central government would be solely and wholly responsible for it.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the petitions challenging the validity of the Article 35A next week. The mainstream National Conference, Congress and Peoples Democratic leaders, separatists, Kashmir-based traders, lawyers, civil society, members, transporters have vowed to protect Article 35A.
A senior BJP MLA from Jammu and group of lawyers and civil society members from the region have also come in support of Article 35A and warned that if the law was scrapped, Jammuites would be the first hit.The BJP MLA Dr Gagan Bhagat has threatened that if the law was scrapped, the people of Jammu would take to guns and pelt stones.