AIADMK’s stand on J&K in syncwith Jayalalithaa’s 1984 speech

The AIADMK’s support for the Central government’s decision to revoke the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution need not be a matter of surprise, as former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had subtly endorsed such a move 35 years ago.
Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha on July 26, 1984 on the dismissal of the Farooq Abdullah-led Ministry in Jammu and Kashmir earlier that month, Jayalalithaa sought to justify the removal though she pointed out how her party’s government too was dismissed in February 1980.
Though the current leader of the AIADMK in the Rajya Sabha, A. Navaneethakrishnan, was apparently unaware of her speech 35 years ago, he said that during his speech in the House on Monday, he had pointed out that she was “well known” for upholding the sovereignty and the integrity of the country.
The former Chief Minister, who was a Member of Parliament from April 1984 to January 1989, concluded her speech with two questions: “And why delay the integration of Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union? Why not bring it under the purview of the Constitution of India in conformity with all the other States of the Indian Union?” Her allusion to Article 370 was obvious in the light of the debate the House was having then.

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