In an apparent disapproval of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s attempt to soften the party’s stand on Article 370 of the Constitution, VHP today asserted that “a country cannot have two Constitutions and any provision which allows this has to be abolished.”
“The Article 370 enables the state of Jammu and Kashmir to have its own separate Constitution. That is tantamount to the notion of having a separate country within Bharat. This cannot be accepted at any cost and the Article must be abolished without dithering,” VHP international working president Pravin Togadia told PTI over phone from Gujarat.
Togadia also sought to revive the issue of a uniform civil code, which Sangh Parivar hardliners have often accused the BJP of having ignored under pressure from its political allies.
“There is a separate civil code in place for Muslims of the country. This too is not acceptable. Muslims living in India are as much the citizens of the country as others and hence it is imperative to have a civil code which is applicable to members of all communities,” he said.
Modi at a rally in Jammu yesterday had said it should be debated whether the constitutional provision has been beneficial for the State and even hinted that it (BJP) might give up its demand for abrogation if such a view emerges.