Rajanth demands scrapping of Article 370

Varanasi, Jun 6 (UNI) BJP president Rajnath Singh today demanded scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution, though he chose to stay silent on the Rahul Mahajan issue.

''I recently said at a rally in Udhampur that Article 370 has secluded Jammu and Kashmir from the rest of the country. The time has come to scrap it, as it had not led to any growth or development in the Valley, but only fuelled terrorism,'' said Mr Singh, while talking to mediapersons here.

The former Union Minister, however, stopped short of saying anything on the Rahul Mahajan issue, despite pointed queries on the issue. ''All I will say is that the matter is being investigated by the police and nothing else,'' Mr Singh maintained, skirting questions on the matter.

Asked about the recent statements of former PM and senior party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee over the return of senior leaders who have left the BJP, Mr Singh said Mr Vajpayee said nothing of that sort and it was the media which distorted his statements.

Among the other issues confronting the nation, Mr Singh said intrusion from Bangladesh and unbridled religious conversions, if not stopped, will change the entire demographic profile of the country.

On the office of profit issue, Mr Singh said the objections raised by President A P J Abdul Kalam, while returning the bill, were similar to what the BJP had raised.

'' The BJP demands that UPA government make the changes as desired by the President, before sending the bill for his assent again,'' he added.

UNI ARS RL HT2022