VP Naidu: Abrogation of Article 370, an internal administrative matter

While addressing the Members of European Parliament, in New Delhi on October 28, Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu said abrogation of Article 370 is an internal administrative matter of India and the move to bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories was to ensure the overall development of both Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

A step towards equity and human dignity

According to an official press release by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Naidu said that abrogation of Article 370 was a step towards equity and human dignity. He observed that the move would ensure good governance where people enjoy the fruits of freedom rather than be constantly under the fear of the bullet. The Vice President said that the proposition was put to vote in the Parliament on 5th and 6th August 2019 and it received Parliament’s unequivocal mandate. “The Lower House voted 80% in favour and in the Upper House, nearly 66% supported the Bill,” he added.

Not a single bullet has been fired till date

Stating that the state was beset with a host of formidable impeding challenges like corruption, lack of accountability and most disturbing of all, growing threat of militancy and cross-border terrorism along with slow development, the Vice President said that the situation in the state after 70 years of Indian independence convinced the policymakers that they could not allow the rapid downslide to continue. He said that the Government, therefore, had to take the best possible steps for preventing any loss of life or property. The Vice President said that it was to the credit of the Government that these measures have succeeded in full, as not a single bullet has been fired till date and there has not been any loss of life on account of any police firing.

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An indicator for a very peaceful election

Talking about the recently held elections to Block Development Councils, he said that 98.3% voter turnout was an indicator for a very peaceful election. The Vice President said that India wishes to see a more just, peaceful and responsive world order and that it was building a richly diverse, harmonious, democratic polity to ensure all-round development and inclusive growth.

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PM Modi: Zero tolerance on Terror

Addressing the 28 European Parliamentarians who are set to visit Kashmir on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, highlighted the need to take action against terrorism, at PMO residence in New Delhi. Without naming any country, PM Modi said that there should be zero tolerance against organisations using terror as a state policy. The delegation called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg (PMO residence) on Monday. "Urgent action must be taken against all those who support or sponsor terrorists or support such activities and organizations or use terrorism as a state policy. There should be zero tolerance for terrorism," he said. 

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