Omar Abdullah, the vice-president of the National Conference (NC), warned that any attempt to tamper with the Constitution would be harmful to the country. He made the remarks in response to a reporter’s question about the Congress’ allegation that the words “socialist” and “secular” had been removed from the Constitution’s Preamble.
Abdullah stated that the Constitution cannot be easily amended. It requires a two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to amend the Constitution. He said that as far as he knows, there has been no vote in either House of Parliament to remove the words “socialist” and “secular” from the Constitution.
The NC leader stated that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had claimed that it had circulated copies of the historic Constitution among members of Parliament because the occasion of moving parliamentary proceedings from the old building to a new one was historic. Abdullah stated that if this is accurate, his party has no objection. However, he warned that if the BJP is tampering with the Constitution, it will not be good for the country.
Abdullah stated that the NC has done everything it can to challenge the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and that it is hopeful of getting justice from the Supreme Court.
In response to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s reported assertion that 80% of Jammu and Kashmir’s population is happy with the current system of governance, Abdullah stated that the Assembly polls should be held to find out if this is the case. He said that the NC has not been able to see these 80% people, and that if they exist, then they should stay away from the elections.
Abdullah also stated that if the BJP is confident that it has the support of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, then it should hold Assembly polls as soon as possible. He said that the NC is ready for elections at any time.
