"Historic": Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma on 6th anniversary of Article 370 abrogation

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 5 (ANI): With August 5 marking six years since the abrogation of Article 370, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Bhajan Lal Sharma called the decision historic, and added that it had brought development in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
CM Bhajan Lal Sharma wrote on his X, "On this very day, August 5, 2019, under the visionary leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and Honorable Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji, the Government of India took a historic decision to abrogate the special provisions of Article 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir, thereby strengthening the nation's unity, integrity, and sovereignty."
He added, "Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all the countrymen on the successful completion of 6 years of this historic decision that connected Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with the mainstream of development!"
Earlier, National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah on Monday lambasted the Centre on the same occasion of the six-year completion of Article 370 abrogation, and asked for a timeline to reinstate the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
Holding the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Centre to fulfil its promise, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister urged the government to hold elections to Rajya Sabha seats and not deny people the right to speak about their problems.
"When are they going to return the statehood? They said that the minute you have elections and the government is formed, the statehood will be restored. What has happened to that? Now they are saying that they will hold elections in two vacant assembly seats, but what about elections to four seats in the Rajya Sabha? Why are they denying people the right to get to that house to speak of their problems?" Abdullah told ANI.
In August 2019, the Central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, repealed Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, effectively ending the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The restoration of statehood has been a key demand from the regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories in August 2019. (ANI)