If Article 35A is expended it will impinge on basic tenets of constitutional interpretation | The Indian Express

If Article 35A is expended it will impinge on basic tenets of constitutional interpretation | The Indian Express

Written by Haseeb A Drabu |Updated: March 30, 2019 9:17:57 am

The writer is the former finance minister of J&K

If Article 35A is expended it will impinge on basic tenets of constitutional interpretation

It became law through a constitutional process. Its repeal will be a blow to federal India

In a blog, Jaitley has said that “Article 35 A was “surreptitiously” included in the Indian Constitution, terming it as a “historical blunder” committed by Jawaharlal Nehru. (Express photo)

When the minions of the BJP promise abolition of Article 370 or Article 35A, especially prior to the elections, it is not to be taken seriously. In fact, the response, if any, should be to dare them to do it. Indeed, I had done so in 2014 in response to a rant by Jitendra Singh, a minister in the PMO, when he spoke out of turn (‘Dare them to do it!’, Kashmir Life, June 2, 2014). It has been almost five years since and Article 370 and 35A stand where they are even as Singh is sitting in the same chair!