Congress lacked courage to act on Article 370: Puri

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said Dr BR Ambedkar opposed Article 370 and had advised the National Conference founder Sheikh Abdullah, not to isolate Kashmir from India.

Speaking on the ‘Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India’ event at the Rajya Sabha, he said the Congress lacked courage to act on Article 370. Even former Deputy PM Sardar Vallabhai Patel was opposed to granting special status to J&K, he said.

Puri said it was the only provision in the Constitution, drafting of which Ambedkar did not oversee. “What should have been a transitional provision ended up assuming a permanent character for 70 years,” Puri said. He rued that India’s reputation was damaged on the global stage due to the Kashmir issue.