Don’t play with fire: Mehbooba, Farooq warn BJP over Articles 370, 35A poll pledge

New Delhi, Apr 09: With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) releasing its election manifesto 'Sankalpit Bharat Sashakt Bharat' on Monday and promising to repeal the Article 370, mainstream political parties in Kashmir on Monday termed its manifesto as dangerous will have far reaching consequences and will end relations of state with India.

Taking to Twitter, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said, "Already J&K ek barood ki dher par baitha hua hai (J&K is sitting on a pile of bullets). If this happens then not only Kashmir but the country and the region will burn. So, I appeal to BJP that please stop playing with fire."

Farooq Abdullah said that the move will pave the way for 'Azadi' for Kashmir.

Abdullah told an election gathering in Srinagar, "Do they think they will abrogate Article 370 and we will be quiet? They are wrong... We will fight it. I think it is Allah's will that they are trying to abrogate it. Let them do it and it will pave way for our Azadi."

The BJP in its election manifesto released in Delhi had said that party's position on Article 370 has been the same since the time of the Jan Sangh. "We are committed to annulling Article 35A of the Constitution of India as the provision is discriminatory against non-permanent residents and women of Jammu and Kashmir. We believe that Article 35A is an obstacle in the development of the state," the document said.

The Supreme Court is hearing a clutch of petitions to scrap Article 35 A.