Opposition parties in TN oppose Centre's move on J&K

Chennai:  DMK President M.K. Stalin on Monday condemned the Central government's decision to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution that confers a special status to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

Stalin said the decision to scrap Article 370 at a time when there is no elected government in J&K was condemnable.

He said an elected Chief Minister and a Governor cannot be equated. "The Governor cannot be expected to know the feelings of the people like a Chief Minister would," he said.

The DMK President said taking such a decision after putting the state leaders under house arrest and disconnecting all communication lines proves the Central government has done it with an ulterior motive. He asked the Centre to keep the implementation of the decision on abeyance till a government is elected in J&K.

Speaking to reporters, Stalin said it was also condemnable that the AIADMK had also supported the Centre in murdering democracy. "Instead of calling itself as All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the party should now rename itself All India Bharatiya Janata Party," he said.

The Tamil Nadu unit of Communist Party of India (CPI) also slammed the central government's decision calling it an "attack on national unity".

Communist Party of India (CPI) State Secretary R. Mutharasan said the leaders of J&K, who had gained the goodwill of the people have been put under house arrest, educational institutions have been closed and converted into army barracks.

Makkalatchi Munnetra Kazhagam (MMK) termed Monday as a black day for Indian democracy.

In a statement issued here, MMK President M.H.Jawahirullah said the Centre's decision shows there is an undeclared emergency in the country. "The scapping of Article 370 has been done mainly to facilitate corporates to buy land in J&K leaving the locals in the lurch," he added.