Jammu: Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma, on Saturday said there is no constitutional provision granting “special status” to Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking in the Assembly, he accused the National Conference (NC) of misleading the public by repeatedly raising the issue.
Sharma stressed that any constitutional demand must have a clear basis in the Constitution. “As far as I know and have studied, there is no word called ‘special status’ in the Indian Constitution in relation to Jammu and Kashmir’s accession or merger. When you make a constitutional demand, it must have a constitutional basis,” he said.
The BJP leader also pointed out that the term “special status” is often misused by several states to seek economic or employment-related benefits, but it should not be linked to Article 370. “Special status can mean an employment package or a financial package. Do not connect it with Article 370. Article 370 is history and has been buried,” Sharma added.
Referring to sloganeering by an NC MLA in the House, he challenged the party to show where the Constitution mentions special status for J&K. “If anyone can show me where the Constitution mentions a special status for J&K, I am ready to face any punishment. But this claim is a lie,” he said.
Sharma accused the Abdullah family of deceiving Kashmir’s people and using the demand for special status to mask governance failures. He said that instead of addressing pressing concerns of daily wage workers, unemployed youth, and beneficiaries under schemes like AAY, DPL, and EWS, the ruling party resorts to rhetoric. “When questioned on failures, they raise the bogey of special status,” he said.
The remarks come amid ongoing debates over J&K’s governance and the role of Article 370, which was abrogated in 2019, effectively ending the state’s special constitutional provisions.
