The Vice president of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said Article 370, which was a temporary provision in constitution, had become detrimental to the nation and all three branches of the government facilitated abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Articles 370 and 35A had become obstacles to democratic governance in J&K.
What had been intended as a temporary provision of the Constitution had gone on to become detrimental to the nation. It created an ecosystem that had handicapped the people of the region,” Dhankhar said while addressing the inauguration of the Biotech Startup Expo on “Emerging Startup Trends in North India” in Kathua today.
He said the sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir who had earlier been denied their rights and benefits under government schemes, now have a greater voice in governance and are witness to a transformed scenario.
“With Article 370 no longer being part of the Constitution, Dr.Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dream has been translated into reality,” he said.
The Vice president said development has been totally delinked from partisan interests in Jammu and Kashmir due to Article 370.
“The collective effort of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary facilitated the abrogation of Article 370,” he said.
He congratulated the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Supreme Court for undoing the law from Constitution forever.
He said that he didn’t think Article 370 would ever end.
On August 5, 2019, centre scrapped Articles 370 and 35A and bifurcated erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories. On December 11, 2023 the five member constitution bench of the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370 by the central government.
Dhankhar drew attention to the opportunities that have opened up for the women of Jammu and Kashmir, with the availability of property rights following abrogation of Article 370 in addition to the rights conferred by the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
“Abrogation of Article 370 and the enabling initiatives taken by the government in Jammu and Kashmir have resulted in development being completely delinked from partisan interests,” he said.
On the occasion, the VP outlined five parameters or ‘Panchatantra’ that are fundamental to the growth and progress of any nation- peace and stability, equality of law, transparency and accountability in governance, an ecosystem that favours meritocracy, and empowerment of women- all of which, he said, are ground realities in India today.
Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr.Jitendra Singh, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
Twenty-five startups, including 11 from Jammu and Kashmir, took part in the expo, titled “Emerging Startup Trends in North India”.