Parkash Singh Badal cautions Narendra Modi government on Article 370

TALWANDI SABO (BATHINDA): NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has asked the newly-formed Narendra Modi government not to take any decision on Article 370 in haste. SAD patron and Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said said that abrogation of the article was a very sensitive issue and needed utmost restraint.

Cautioning against a unilateral decision on the issue Badal said, "The Union government must take all the political parties of the country into confidence before taking any action on such issues. Modi will take a final call on the issue in consultation with the senior leadership of all political parties."

The chief minister insisted on an amicable solution on whether to continue with Article 370, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir or to scrap it.

The issue was raked up by Union minister of state (MoS) in the PMO, Jitendra Singh when he said that the process of abrogating Article 370 had already begun.

Immediately after taking charge on Tuesday, Singh had said that the government was already discussing the issue with leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, which attracted angry reactions from chief minister Omar Abdullah and others.