New Delhi: Eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani on Saturday said Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was part of the Constitution's basic structure which "nobody can touch" and claimed BJP was now "quiet" on it as he had explained its importance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Article 370 is a part of the basic structure of the Constitution because we have incorporated it in accordance of the wishes of the then Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir.
"It is now a final article which nobody can touch. It is the understanding of the Kashmir Committee that this kind of a thing (repealing of Article 370) is out of question," Jethmalani told reporters.
However, the Rajya Sabha MP said that the successive state governments in Jammu and Kashmir never raised any objections to modifications made to the Article from time to time.
"There were no objections from J-K government ever to any modifications on Article 370. If you do not like any amendments, vomit it out, but democratically," he said.
The former BJP leader, who was expelled from the party in May, said he had explained the importance of the Article 370 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP has "kept quiet" about it since then.
"BJP was always talking about Article 370, some of them don't even understand the Constitution of India at all. Modi has been explained the importance of Article 370 and that it cannot be repealed. I have told him to explain it to the BJP people to not speak about it. The BJP has kept quiet.
"Unfortunately, when they came to power, a minister, who is from Jammu, talked about its repeal and please take it that Modi gave him a tongue-lashing and told him that never again talk about it. He has since then not talked about it," he said.
