Srinagar, July 22: Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) on Saturday said the Congress party stands exposed on Article 370 as its Member of Parliament and Spokesperson Adv Abhishek Singhvi sought to defer the hearing of petitions in the Supreme Court on August 2.
In a statement issued here, the DPAP chief spokesperson Salman Nizami accused the Congress party of betraying the people of Jammu & Kashmir by seeking postponement of the Article 370 hearing on the pretext of the Delhi ordinance.
“Shocking and unfortunate, Congress MP and Spokesperson, Adv Abhishek Shinghvi, requested a deferment of the Article 370 hearings while pleading the Ordinance case in SC. Thankful to CJI for rejecting the plea to prioritize Ordinance over Article 370,” Nizami said, adding that it raises questions about Congress’s stance on Article 370, considering many leaders previously supported its revocation.
Only Ghulam Nabi Azad, as Leader of Opposition, opposed the revocation, he said, adding that Congress’s stand has hurt the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
Hailing the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud for not changing the schedule of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 as pleaded by Singhvi, the DPAP spokesperson termed the move as an “eye-opener” for people of J&K saying the Congress party “always adopted double standards and stands exposed now”.
“At a time when the entire Jammu & Kashmir is waiting with bated breath for the hearing of crucial petitions on Article 370, the real face of Congress party has come to the fore with its spokesperson A Singhvi openly pleading for deferring of hearing on August 2,” he said.
Stressing consistency in the stand of DPAP chairman, Nizami said the party would be represented on the August 2 hearing in Supreme Court for which Ghulam Nabi Azad has urged senior advocate and noted lawyer Kapil Sibal to be present and pursue the Article 370 case.
Reminding the people about the role of the DPAP chief, the chief spokesperson recalled Azad’s “vociferous” speech in the Parliament where he vehemently opposed the abrogation of Article 370 despite Congress party’s “dubious stand and instructions to its MPs to remain mute”.
“It was Ghulam Nabi Azad as the Leader of Opposition in Parliament who alone stood against the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 as was evident from his emotional speech in the Rajya Sabha and outside where he rose to the occasion and conveyed his resentment in strongest terms while MPs from other parties hardly showed any resistance to the act,” Salman Nizami said.
