Opinion | Farooq should withdraw his remark on seeking China’s help
National Conference leader and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah has made an outrageous remark on Article 370. In an interview to a news channel, Dr Abdullah said, “China has never accepted the nullification of Article 370 (which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and was abrogated by Parliament on August 5 last year). They have said, till you restore Article 370, we won’t stop because now it has become an open issue. Inshallah, I wish that our people get help from their might and our Articles 370 and 35-A get restored.”
No Indian will ever accept Farooq Abdullah’s remark. What Farooq Abdullah meant to say was he is looking towards China to ensure that Article 370 is restored and state quo ante is brought in Kashmir. His remark clearly indicates that the current tension on the India-China border is due to the abrogation of Article 370 and China is unhappy about it. How can any Indian tolerate such a seditious remark from a leader who has been chief minister of his state for a considerable time?
Farooq Abdullah is currently a Member of Parliament from Srinagar and he has taken oath in the name of the Indian Constitution. On one hand, he accepts the supremacy of the Indian Parliament, which had unanimously passed a resolution to abrogate Article 370, and on the other hand, he is making statements challenging the Indian state and Parliament. Is he threatening the Indian Parliament by invoking China’s name? I still fail to imagine how and why he made this remark. I could not believe that Farooq could have made such a remark, because I have seen him fight for India’s cause on several occasions, particularly during the Kargil war.
A National Conference spokesman later tried to defend Farooq Abdullah by saying that his comment was twisted from the context. The spokesman told a Delhi newspaper that Farooq never justified China’s expansionist and aggressive intention. “Our patron (Farooq Abdullah) was only highlighting the anger of the people because of the abrogation of Article 370”, the spokesman said.
The party spokesman’s view does not hold water, because the interview with Farooq Abdullah was recorded on camera and his intentions were clear. He was praying to Allah to grant wish so that Article 370 can be restored with China’s help.
I am surprised why Rahul Gandhi’s Congress, Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress have not objected to Farooq Abdullah’s comments till now? I had expected these parties to ask Farooq to withdraw his remarks. Except for BJP, which described Farooq’s remark as ‘seditious’, none of these parties objected. This is a matter of serious concern.
Farooq Abdullah’s remarks are a matter of concern because I personally know him for the last several decades. I had seen him singing “O Mere Ram” and has performed pooja with him at the famous Shankaracharya temple in Srinagar. I had also visited a famous mosque in Kashmir. At the temple, he sought God’s help in restoring peace by folding his hands in prayer. At the mosque, he raised his hands seeking Allah’s help for restoring peace in Kashmir. Over the last several decades, Farooq had been saying that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. He had been saying how Pakistan was fomenting terrorism in the Valley. I was, therefore, shocked when I watched him making this outrageous remark about China’s help. Deep inside my heart, I know Farooq Abdullah can never be a traitor.
Farooq had been making outrageous remarks recently due to excessive emotion, but the latest remark is normally made by those who are enemies of our nation. If it was a slip of tongue, he should immediately come out with a clarification withdrawing this remark.
Farooq is free to oppose the abrogation of Article 370, he is free to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies, he is free to go to the people to express his views, but the nation will never tolerate such a remark seeking China’s help. He must then have to reply to the families of those martyred jawans who laid down their lives in Galwan valley fighting Chinese aggression. He must reply to the families of those jawans who gave their supreme sacrifice while fighting Pakistani terrorists in the Valley. But if Farooq continues to stand by his seditious remark then every patriotic Indian will ask him questions.
I still believe that Farooq will come out with his clarification to say that he never sought China’s help on the Kashmir issue. He will say that he loves this nation and he will never ask for help from the enemies of India. Farooq Abdullah must understand that every Indian stands rock solid behind our brave jawans posted in minus 50 degree Celsius conditions, defending our frontier from Chinese aggression. Farooq must understand that the current tension on the Line of Actual Control is due to China’s expansionist designs.
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