Status quo on Article 370 to be maintained: BJP

PATNA: Allaying fears regarding its stand on Article 370, which guarantees a special constitutional status to Jammu and Kashmir, BJP today said "status quo on it will be maintained".

"The status quo on Article 370 will be maintained. .... This is a constitutional matter and any kind of change in it cannot be brought in the Parliament," BJP's national spokesperson MJ Akbar told reporters here.

Akbar said this while responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stand on Article 370 in the light of recent statements by some BJP leaders that it will be abrogated when the party gets two-third majority in the Parliament, during a media workshop for state spokespersons of his party.

The journalist and author-turned-politician also sought to portray that the Modi government was for economic development and welfare of the minority community without any discrimination as part of his "sabka saath, sabka vikas" (development for all) philosophy on governance.

"The biggest problem faced by the minority community was that innocent youths were picked up, arrested and held in custody for long periods without their involvement in any incident" (previously), he alleged.

"No such incident has occurred in the last one year since Modi government has come," he added.

Akbar further alleged there had been days of harassment of people belonging to the minority community, vendetta and discrimination, which were like an "epidemic" during the Congress rule and claimed all these were over now.

"Our Prime Minister wants justice, economic prosperity, education for the minorities. The Centre has launched a special, innovative, technology-driven programme for weavers, of which a majority are from the minority community," he added.