March 27,2018:
On Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Home Afffairs, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir informed Lok Sabha that,"There is currently no proposal to scrap Article 370 which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir".
Ahir was replying to a written question by BJP MP Ashwini Kumar, who asked whether Government was committed to scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution.
BJP MP had also asked that,"What was the present status and procedure laid down for scrapping Article 370".
"There is currently no such proposal under consideration of the Government," Ahir said in his one-line reply.
Article 370 of the Indian constitution is an article that gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Article is drafted in Part XXI of Constitution: Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions.
Scrapping Article 370 forms part of the BJP's political manifesto. However, the party, in alliance with the regional PDP, remained silent on the demand in the Agenda of Alliance agreed to in 2015.
In a separate question on statements made by Centre's interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma on violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Ahir stated that Sharma had recently visited border areas in view of recent cease-fire violations and suggested some measures for the local population. These included shifting residents and constructing bunkers.
Question was asked by Congress' Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gaurav Gogoi.
Ahir replied stating that Government was keen to bring peace in the state and was ready to hold dialogue with all sections of society who shun the path of violence.
He further added that,"The government has also continuously encouraged policies to bring youth to the mainstream. These include providing employment opportunities to wean them away from militancy"
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