‘Separatist psyche’: After Modi, Arun Jaitley slams Omar Abdullah over 'separate PM' for J-K demand

Taking on former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, Union minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said his demand for revival of the post of prime minister and president in J&K is intended to create a "separatist psyche" and asserted that new India would never allow any government to commit such blunders.

Earlier in the day, Abdullah said his party, National Conference (NC), would not allow any attacks on Jammu and Kashmir's special status and would seek restoration of terms of accession of the state, including the provision for 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' (president) and Wazir-e-Azam (prime minister).

Abdullah is the vice president of the National Conference (NC).  The two mainstream parties -- NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Mehbooba Mufti -- in Kashmir are increasingly losing their identities, Jaitley said in a blog.

"The separatists and the terrorists want a part of the State to segregate from India. India will never accept this.

"It has already given a loud and clear message both to the separatists/ terrorists and Pakistan that Azadi is not a distant possibility. It is an impossibility," he said.

The senior BJP leader and Union Finance Minister also said statements of the two parties that the constitutional link between the State and the country is based on solemn assurance of Article 35A were unacceptable.

Some have even gone further and argued that two constitutional provisions constitute the revocable link which has to be maintained, he noted.          

Jaitley said the argument is completely unacceptable as Article 35A was not there in 1947 when the Instrument of Accession was signed in the month of October.

"In 1950, when the Constitution came into force, it was not there. It was only surreptitiously inserted in 1954. How can it be the essential Constitutional link?," the minister said.

Jaitley said the matter is being heard by the Supreme Court.  "Why intimidate the Court which is hearing the matter. History is never reversed by Court judgements. The argument of revocability is as absurd as a suggestion that if the Indian Independence Act was revoked by the British Parliament, we will lose our Independence," he said in the blog titled 'Ek Desh Mein Do Vidhan, Do Pradhan' (In one country, two constitutions, two heads).

Jaitley said Abdullah's demand of reviving the post of Wazir-e-Azam and Sadar-e-Riyasat is only intended to create a "separatist psyche".

"Little do these demandeurs realise how much they are hurting the country as also their own people. The new India will never allow any Government to commit such blunders," the minister said.

On Saturday, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that the relationship between the Union and the state would be over if Article 370 of the Constitution is revoked.