Article 35A part of Constitution, serious discussions required before abolishing it, says Salman Khurshid

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Monday said Article 35A, which provides special status to Jammu and Kashmir, is a part of the Indian Constitution and serious discussions with should be held before taking any step in order to scrap it.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid.

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Monday said Article 35A, which provides special status to Jammu and Kashmir, is a part of the Indian Constitution and serious discussions with should be held before taking any step in order to scrap it. Khurshid, who was speaking at ABP News' 'Shikhar Sammelan', also said leaders from Jammu and Kashmir should also be made a part of such deliberations. When asked if the contentious article should be abolished, Khurshid said: "I don't know. But I would say that serious discussions should be held on this with proper understanding and reasoning, and our partners from Jammu and Kashmir should also be made a part of it." It won't be appropriate for the nation if we take decisions on Kashmir by sitting here, he added. Article 35A, which was incorporated in the Constitution by a 1954 Presidential Order, accords special rights and privileges to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and bars people from outside the state from acquiring any immovable property in the State. It denies property rights to a woman who marries a person from outside the State. He said an outsider cannot purchase land in some other states, including Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. "Does it mean that you will also change the law in these states?". "Therefore, I say wherever it's necessary and in the interest of the country do it (amend the Constitution) but act wisely," he said "Article 35A is a part of constitution and if it's scrapped it will change the structure of the country. How it was incorporated that is a different debate but for now it's a part of the Constitution, which is the structure of India," the former union minister, who held several portfolios in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, said. "Every part of the Constitution is important to us. You cannot pick and choose depending upon your preferences." The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35A this week. The crucial hearing, which could be listed from February 26 to February 28, assumes significance in view of the toughening stand of the state-based political parties on the sensitive issue.