New Delhi: In a major development, the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha supported the bill which has the provision to repeal the article 370 of the constitution and bifurcation of state into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without a legislature.
BJD MP, Prasanna Acharya in Rajya Sabha said, “In real sense today, Jammu & Kashmir has become a part of India. My party supports this resolution. We are a regional party but for us nation is first.”
What is Article 370
This Article specifies that except for Defence, Foreign Affairs, Communications and ancillary matters (matters specified in the Instrument of Accession), the Indian Parliament needs the state government’s concurrence for applying all other laws. Thus, the state’s residents lived under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians.