Jammu and Kashmir, India

A ruckus started in the Legislative Assembly of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday (Nov 7), following the display of an Article 370 banner by the MLA of Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, the brother of Engineer Rashid. 

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Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh chose to stand with the banner in the house. Though the marshals and speaker asked him to sit, he continued to stand, prompting objections from the opposition. 

The opposition leader Sunil Sharma, along with several Bharatiya Janata Party leaders also opposed the display of the banner. Subsequently, a scuffle broke out between them and Khurshid Ahmad.

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The speaker ordered the marshals to remove members who were misbehaving and crossed limits. The leaders of the opposition party were also asked to behave properly. 

Following the incident in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP leader Smriti Irani reiterated that Article 370 will not be restored in the Indian Union Territory. “...Through the BJP workers, I want to assure citizens of India and tell leaders of INDI Alliance that Article 370 will not be restored (in Jammu & Kashmir) and their (INDI alliance) attempt to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India will not be successful,” said Irani, as per news agency PTI. 

“The Congress leadership, particularly the Gandhi family, needs to answer: do they stand for terrorism and stand against the development of Jammu and Kashmir? Do they stand for the breaking of India rather than stand and abide by the Constitution,” she said.

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Recently, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) proposed a new resolution asking for the restoration of special status under Article 370. Khurshid Sheikh and other PDP leaders signed the resolution. 

It stated, “The house strongly condemns the unconstitutional and unilateral abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A, along with the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, by the Government of India. These actions stripped J-K of its special status and statehood, undermining the foundational guarantees and protections originally according to the region and its people by the Constitution of India.”

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One of the main promises in the Congress manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir election was to restore the articles and special status of the UT. Therefore, the leaders asked for the immediate restoration of both articles to their original forms.

The resolution read, “This House unequivocally demands the immediate restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A in their original, unaltered form, and calls for the reversal of all changes introduced by the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. We further urge the Government of India to respect the constitutional and democratic sanctity of Jammu & Kashmir by reinstating all special provisions and guarantees intended to preserve its distinct identity, culture, and political autonomy.”

(With inputs from agencies)