No proposal to repeal Article 370, says govt

The government has no proposal to repeal Article 370 of the Constitution that grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

"No" was the reply of Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju to a written question by Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy on whether the government has any proposal to repeal Article 370.

Immediately after the National Democratic Alliance came to power at the Centre, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh had said the government was open to debate on merits and demerits of Article 370 and would make efforts to "convince" the "unconvinced" by holding contact programmes with every section of the society in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh, who was elected from Udhampur Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir, had said the Bharatiya Janata Party was working "very professionally" on this issue and has been calling meetings in the Kashmir Valley.

"We have succeeded in convincing some of them (on the issue of repealing the provision)," he had said. 

Meanwhile, replying to another question, Rijiju said as on date, a total of 270 individuals are being given security by the central government on the basis of their threat perception.

"The central government provides security cover on the basis of assessment of threat to some individuals. The security provided is subject to periodic review based on which security is continued/withdrawn/downgraded/upgraded.

"Thus the number of protectees in the central list varies from time to time. However, as on date, there are 270 threat-based protectees in the central list," he said.

Image: Article 370 of the Indian constitution grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters