A commotion erupted in the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday morning during its first session in six years, as People's Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker Wahid Parra presented an unplanned resolution opposing the abrogation of Article 370, which occurred in August 2019. Lawmakers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vehemently opposed Parra's resolution, while Speaker Rahim Rather from the ruling National Conference stated that he had not yet admitted any resolutions.
The BJP-led central government revoked Article 370 five years ago, a move that sparked significant protests and led to the removal of the region's special status, dividing the former state into two union territories.
The reversal of this decision was a major campaign promise leading up to last month's elections, the first in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade. However, shortly after the National Conference's victory was confirmed, Chief Minister-elect Omar Abdullah acknowledged that it would be unrealistic to expect the BJP to restore Article 370. Nonetheless, he emphasized that this would not stop the National Conference from continuing to raise the issue.
"Our political position remains unchanged. We have never claimed we would stop addressing Article 370 or that it is no longer a concern for us. I have repeatedly mentioned before the elections that it would be foolish to expect restoration of Article 370 from those who took it away," he stated.