Cong should rectify its historical blunder by supporting Article 370: Pralhad Joshi

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday slammed the Congress as a "divided house" on the issue of abrogation of Article 370 and said the grand old the party should rectify its "historical blunder" by supporting the resolution brought by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Speaking on the statutory resolution in Lok Sabha to scrap the special status conferred to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, Joshi accused the Congress of speaking in Pakistan's language.

Shah also moved the Jammu and Kashmir Reorgsation Bill, 2019 that seeks to make Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory with legislature and Ladakh a Union Territory without legislature.

"Tragedy happened when despite Baba Saheb Ambedkar's opposition Article 370 was inserted in the state's constitution. We are rectifying the historical blunder committed by Nehru. You (Congress) still have time. Go and tell your leader to rectify the blunder by supporting Article 370," Joshi said.

The senior BJP leader also said he was hopeful that the Congress would support abrogation of Article 370 but it was unfortunate that different voices were coming from the party.

"The entire country is speaking in one voice. They are celebrating and chanting Bharat Mata ki Jai. When we were planning to remove Article 370, I thought Congress would support it. But it is most unfortunate that divided voices are coming out from Congress party," he said, referring to the stands taken by party leaders Bhubaneshwar Kalita, Janardan Dwivedi, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Deependra Hooda and Milind Deora.

Joshi also said Kashmir was an emotional issue for the BJP.

"After the government's move of abrogation Article 370, Pakistan called it a black day. Some of the senior Congress leaders too said it was a black day. The Congress was joining Pakistan," he said amid strong opposition by the Congress members.

"Kashmir is not just a piece of land for us. It is our motherland," he added.

Taking a swipe at Congress for not electing a new party chief after Rahul Gandhi's resignation, he said the entire country knows that there is no democracy in the party and it was "jaagir" (property) of some leaders.

He blamed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the problems in Jammu and Kashmir and claimed that if Sardar Patel had handled the affairs of the state after partition, the situation would have been different.

"We are rectifying the historical blunder committed by Nehru. Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir had been in India if he had not announced his unilateral decision of the ceasefire. Babasaheb Ambedkar opposed tooth and nail against Article 370 but was inserted after Nehru's insistence. If Nehru had to handle Hyderabad, the situation would have been opposite today. It was due to Sardar Patel, Hyderabad became part of India," he said.

( With inputs from ANI )