Article 370 Only a Temporary Provision, Has to Go Lock, Stock and Barrel, Says BJP's Ram Madhav

New Delhi: BJP's national general secretary Ram Madhav on Saturday said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is committed to repealing the provision which provides special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He also asserted that Article 370 has to go lock, stock and barrel.

"As far as 370 is concerned, our ideological commitment is well known. Article 370 has to go lock stock and barrel as the Home Minister (Amit Shah) clearly mentioned yesterday (in Parliament)," Madhav told ANI.

"Our government is committed to resolving all outstanding issue in Kashmir. We are moving in that direction," he added.

Shah had said on Friday that Article 370 of the Constitution, which provides for special status to the state, was "temporary in nature" and "not permanent".

Madhav said that the Article was introduced as a temporary measure and former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself wanted it to go. "When it was introduced by former PM Nehru, he himself had said that it was temporary and would erode on its own," he said.

Asked if the Article can be done away with the tenure of the present government as they have a huge mandate, he said, "It requires certain procedures to be followed, at the appropriate time

they all will be followed."

Article 370 of the Constitution gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and limits the central government's power to make laws for the state.

Reiterating Home Minister Amit Shah's comments in the Parliament, the BJP leader said that Jawaharlal Nehru is to blame for the problems in Kashmir.

"Whatever Amit Shah said is historical truth. The trouble in Kashmir is a creation of the first government of independent India under Pandit Nehru," Madhav said.

Shah on Friday stated that the present situation in Kashmir was the outcome of the misdeeds of Nehru who referred to the issue of 'Accession of Kashmir to India' to UNO and proclaimed Article 370 there.

Speaking in Parliament, Shah had said, "Article 370 is effective only in Jammu and Kashmir, which was negotiated by the then Prime Minister."

Shah had also blamed Nehru gave a portion of Kashmir to Pakistan without the consent of the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

A clutch of petitions challenging the validity of Article 370 is pending before the Supreme Court.

(Inputs from agencies)