"Let Jammu-Kashmir Go To Hell": Farooq Abdullah On Supreme Court Verdict Upholding Article 370 Abrogation

When asked about the Supreme Court's decision on the repeal of Article 370, Farooq Abdullah, the leader of the National Conference and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, expressed that let Jammu and Kashmir "go to hell."

"Let Jammu and Kashmir go to hell... This is where they took it. They betrayed people. They want to win people's hearts. How would you win that if you do such things to push people farther away?" Abdullah expressed these sentiments on Tuesday (12 December) during a discussion with journalists.

Former Chief Minister and NC stalwart, Farooq Abdullah defended Jawahar Lal Nehru, after the BJP accused the nation's first prime minister of causing years of unrest and instability in Jammu and Kashmir, and for the special constitutional privileges granted to the former state under Article 370. Abdullah asserted that Nehru was in the US when the special provision was introduced.

In an interview with ANI, the ex-Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir asserted that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the former Union Home Minister, and Syama Prasad Mukherjee, the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh and a prominent saffron ideologue, played a role in granting special constitutional privileges to the former state.

Abdullah expressed optimism that the Supreme Court would instruct the Centre to promptly hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a significant judgment on Monday, the supreme court affirmed the repeal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. The court also established a deadline for the Central government to reinstate statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and conduct elections there by September of the following year.

He expressed his desire for immediate elections in Kashmir, however, the Supreme Court has granted time until September 2024. He questioned where the justice was in this decision.

Previously, Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, criticised former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, holding him responsible for the unlawful seizure of a part of Kashmir by Pakistan, referred to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

During a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Shah was addressing the assembly.

Shah stated in the Lok Sabha last week that two significant errors made by Nehru have resulted in years of suffering for Kashmir.