Farooq Abdullah should stop dreaming, start living in current scenario, says Kavinder Gupta over restoration of Article 370

Former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta on Tuesday slammed National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah for demanding the restoration of Article 370 and said that he should stop dreaming and start living in the current scenario.

Abdullah on Tuesday said that Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which was abrogated in August 2019, has to be reinstated, to bring back normalcy in the Union Territory.

Speaking to ANI, Gupta said, "If Farooq Abdullah is thinking that Article 370 will ever be implemented in Kashmir, then he should stop dreaming and start living in the current scenario."

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader alleged that the militancy was born in Kashmir due to the previous governments in UT.

"The militancy in Kashmir has not begun recently, rather it is the creation of their own governments. Separatism, terrorism, pro-Pakistan stance and nepotism, all this has come during their tenure," he said.

Gupta said nearly 700 militants have been gunned down in the past one and a half year and claimed that the stone-pelting in the region has stopped.

"The environment of the UT was made vitriolic by misleading the youth of Kashmir, the Opposition wants the same to continue. Whereas the government of India is continuously working to improve the situation. Nearly 700 militants have been gunned down in the past one and a half years. The Pakistani flag is no more hoisted, the stones are no more pelted. He has to understand that this reality and stop commenting unnecessarily," he said.

"If normalcy is to be brought in Kashmir, then Article 370 has to be reinstated," said Abdullah while speaking to media persons in Delhi.

In August 2019, the Central government scrapped Article 370 which gave special rights to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two categories- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

( With inputs from ANI )