New Delhi, Dec 15, KNT: National Conference Rajya Sabha member Gurwinder Singh Oberoi on Monday delivered an intervention in the Upper House, criticising the abrogation of Article 370 and calling for the immediate restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking during the proceedings, Oberoi said Article 370 was removed unilaterally and without the consent of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He asserted that democracy cannot exist without representation and said the decision was imposed, not accepted. “Silence should not be mistaken for acceptance. We must speak truth to power,” he said.
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The NC MP as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been denied their rights and stressed that the continued delay in restoring statehood has deepened the trust deficit between the system and the people. He said statehood must be restored immediately to uphold democratic principles.
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Oberoi said the abrogation of Article 370 was presented as a one-time measure, but its long-term consequences have eroded democratic space in the region. “We do not seek charity. We seek dignity and a democratic space to live with self-respect,” he told the House.
He cautioned that democracy is being manipulated and warned that history would judge those who stood by the Constitution and those who opposed it. “Years from now, people will remember who defended constitutional values and who chose to undermine them,” he said. [KNT]
