The DMK has announced an all-party meeting at its party headquarters in Chennai on Saturday, August 10, to discuss the Kashmir issue, in the wake of new developments. A tweet was put out by the DMK party handle on Twitter.
'கழக தலைவர் @mkstalin அவர்கள் தலைமையில் ஜம்மு #Kashmir பிரச்சினை குறித்து அனைத்துக் கட்சிக் கூட்டம்'
— DMK (@arivalayam) August 6, 2019
- தலைமைக் கழகம் அறிவிப்பு. pic.twitter.com/Gbr1T0DwrM
Speaking to TNM, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai says the meeting will be a general discussion on the topic. “The party will convene and discuss how to go about it, how to take the issue forward,” he said.
DMK leader Stalin has been vocal about the developments in Kashmir and slammed the Centre’s decision to revoke Article 370. “The decision by the Centre to repeal Article 370 and re-organise Jammu & Kashmir with many State leaders under house arrest and through a pliant Governor goes against the grain of democracy and constitutionalism. This is a dark day in the history of Indian federalism,” he wrote.
The decision by the Centre to repeal Article 370 and re-organise Jammu & Kashmir with many State leaders under house arrest and through a pliant Governor goes against the grain of democracy and constitutionalism.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 5, 2019
This is a dark day in the history of Indian federalism. #Kashmir
He also made his party’s stand clear by stating, “The DMK stands with its Kashmiri brothers and sisters and will oppose any assault on federal structure.”
I urge the President of India to not precipitate the situation and not take any further steps in this regard until a democratically elected Government is formed there.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 5, 2019
The DMK stands with its Kashmiri brothers and sisters and will oppose any assault on federal structure.
AIADMK, the state’s ruling party, on the other hand, had welcomed the scrapping of Article 370 in Kashmir.
On Monday, the BJP government introduced its proposal to revoke Article 370(1) of the Constitution that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and Article 35(A) which gives the Jammu and Kashmir legislature the right to decide who are permanent residents of the state. In addition to this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved a bill to give the status of a Union Territory to Jammu and Kashmir. MDMK Chief Vaiko and DMK leader Tiruchy Siva, both Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu, stood up in the Upper House on Monday, questioning the ruling government’s decision.
Among the parties from Tamil Nadu, DMK and Vijaykanth’s MDMK have expressed their opposition to the bill.