India

Article 35A: BJP may penalise MLA for defying party line

Dr Gagan Bhagat had insisted that Article 35A was beneficial for the state and should not be scrapped.

Fayaz Wani

SRI NAGAR: The BJP is contemplating disciplinary action against its legislator Dr Gagan Bhagat, who defied the party’s stand on Article 35A, which grants special privileges to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, by insisting that the law was beneficial for the state and should not be scrapped, and warning that if it was revoked, the people of Jammu would take up guns and pelt stones.

The BJP spokesman, Arun Gupta. told The New Indian Express that the party would take action against Bhagat for his remarks on Article 35A.He said Bhagat’s statement was his personal opinion and not that of the party. “The BJP has a clear stand on Article 35A. It wants its abrogation,” Gupta said. Asked whether any other party leaders supported Bhagat’s point of view on the issue, he said, “No. He was the only individual in the party who gave a statement in support of Article 35A and action will be taken against him”.

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