NSA Ajit Doval calls Jammu and Kashmir constitution 'aberration', irks PDP

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has triggered a controversy with his remark on Jammu and Kashmir’s constitution. Speaking at the launch of a book on Vallabhbhai Patel, Doval on Tuesday said that having a separate constitution for Jammu and Kashmir was an “aberration”.

"The thing was that, to make a sovereign state in which there was the sovereignty of the people, was established in the Constitution, which is applicable to the whole of it. Probably with Jammu and Kashmir, where the Constitution was... in a truncated form... another constitution of J&K continued to exist, which is an aberration," Doval said.

The remarks of the country’s National Security Advisor has come in the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s hearing on pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35-A, which provides special privileges to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

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Doval’s remarks didn’t go down well with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference – two regional parties of the Kashmir, which asked if the statement was at the behest of the central government.

"If the government does not take notice, it will be proved that Doval is saying this at the behest of the government," NDTV quoted National Conference leader Mustafa Kamal as saying.

PDP leader Rafi Ahmad Mir termed Doval’s remarks ‘irresponsible’ and said that such statements were altering people mindset in the Valley.

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"I think for a person in such a responsible position, Ajit Doval's statement is irresponsible. Statements like this are altering the mindsets of the general public about Kashmir," Mir said.