NC MLA Javed Beigh Invokes Article 370, Defends Special Status During Budget Debate | Kashmir Life

by Asrar Syeed

SRINAGAR: National Conference MLA Javed Beigh on Saturday rejected Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma’s assertion that special status no longer exists in the Constitution, asserting that Article 370 defined the constitutional relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and the Union of India, while Article 35-A safeguarded land and job rights of residents.

“We surrendered external sovereignty, not our internal autonomy,” Beigh said while participating in the discussion on the Budget 2026–27 and the Governor’s address in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah presented the Budget on February 6, which the ruling National Conference has described as visionary amid revised allocations and new policy commitments.

Responding to criticism from opposition benches, Beigh defended the Budget and the Chief Minister’s leadership, recalling praise extended to Omar Abdullah by former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. He said Vajpayee had once remarked that he saw “a spark” in Omar Abdullah that would benefit the nation, while Manmohan Singh had described one of his presentations as the best he had seen. Beigh also claimed that former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had expressed similar views.

Highlighting Jammu and Kashmir’s strategic location and the challenges arising from strained India–Pakistan relations, Beigh said the region, including Ladakh, had borne the brunt of political instability. He criticised those who, according to him, misled the youth by encouraging confrontation and sending them across the border. “Where are those people today, and why did they fail?” he asked.

Reacting to PDP MLA Waheed Para’s description of the Budget as “copy-paste”, Beigh said Para “would have been in school” when senior leaders like him were working within the PDP. Referring to the 2014 Assembly elections that resulted in a PDP–BJP coalition government, Beigh said the government of the time failed to fulfil even minor promises, including clearing Tattoo Ground, despite Jammu and Kashmir having both statehood and special status then. His remarks led to brief disorder in the House as Para protested and asked Beigh to restrict his remarks to the Budget.

Addressing opposition criticism over central grants, Beigh said financial assistance from the Centre was not exclusive to Jammu and Kashmir. “Other states also receive central grants. The responsibility of the Government of India extends from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” he said.

He questioned why the opposition objected to cooperation between the Centre and the Union Territory government in strengthening infrastructure and development.

Beigh also raised concern over recent attacks on Kashmiris in different parts of the country, warning that growing communalism and hatred posed a serious threat to national unity and could indirectly revive the two-nation theory.

He concluded by reiterating support for the Budget and the National Conference government, calling the financial document “remarkable” and “a budget of vision”.