BJP leader Chaman Lal debunks J&K autonomy report

He warned if the NC government "continues to press for autonomy, then Jammu and Ladakh regions could separate. And the onus for that will squarely lie on Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah".

Asked what his party would do if the report was adopted by the state assembly where NC had a majority, he said it would then be sent to Parliament. "How can Parliament approve the process of disintegration?"

"But in any case it will be a virtual confrontation between the state and the Centre, especially when his (Abdullah’s) son is a Central Minister," Gupta said.

Gupta claimed that a major section of people from the state had "rejected" the autonomy report.

These included those living in Jammu and Leh regions, Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs, Gujjar-Bakkarwals, Punjabi Muslims from Uri and Poonch areas and the Shias from Kargil region, the Minister said and asked "what more is required than the rights and facilities granted under Article 370 of the Constitution".

Referring to "discrimination" against these sections by the state government, Gupta said while the Jammu region had a population of over 24.6 lakh and Kashmir 24.1 lakh, the number of Parliamentary seats in the former is two and three in the latter.

"Jammu has 37 assembly seats with an area of 29,000 sq km, while Kashmir has 46 seats with an area of 15,000 sq km," he said.

"To perpetuate this hegemony, the Chief Minister of the state has always been from the Valley and Jammu and Ladakh regions have been neglected."

The Minister said over 30,000 people have been killed during a decade of militancy, four lakh people (pandits) have migrated, 1100 school and college buildings along with hundreds of bridges have been burnt down.

"Instead of discussing these problems, the Chief Minister has convened a special session of the assembly to discuss autonomy," Gupta said.

Gupta said the "bogey" of autonomy and restoration of pre-1953 status to J&K was "not only ill-conceived but also ill-timed" and alleged that this was guided purely by "communal and regional considerations".

"No right thinking person can subscribe to the idea of having two Presidents and two Prime Ministers in one country. While Supreme Court will not have any right over the state’s legal affairs, the Election Commission will also have no jurisdiction and neither will Comptroller and Auditor General," he said.

Gupta said elections to the basic democratic institutions like panchayats and local bodies as well as cooperative societies have not been held for two decades or more.

He warned of "serious repercussions" if the NC government did not take care of these problems and "kept harping on autonomy."