‘Mistake of history’ now corrected: Senior Cong leader on Article 370

New Delhi: In a shocking act, the Congress senior leader Janardan Dwivedi on Monday backed the BJP-led national coalition’s move to scrap special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.

The 73-year-old leader said that Article 370 was a “mistake of history” which had been corrected.

Stating it as personal opinion, Dwivedi’s statement came after the Congress spent a larger part of Monday leading a shrinking group of opposition parties to argue against the NDA government’s move to scrap special status for Jammu and Kashmir. Dwivedi, who was dropped from the Congress Working Committee in a reshuffle in July last year, made no reference to the party’s stand.

“This is a very old issue. After Independence, there were many freedom fighters who did not want Article 370 to remain. I am not talking about the party (stand). But at an individual level, my political guru Ram Manohar Lohia ji would always speak against Article 370 and we would make this point in student and youth movements. My personal opinion is that this is a matter of national satisfaction,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“A mistake of history at the time of Independence has been corrected today, albeit late. This deserves to be welcomed,” Dwivedi added.

This isn’t the first time that Dwivedi has taken a stand that is seen to be at variance with the party’s stand. In 2015, the Congress leader had landed in a controversy when he was perceived to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BJP’s performance in the 2014 national elections.

However, after the Centre’s "historic decision" with regard to Jammu and Kashmir, the single largest opposition party Congress is divided on whether to support or oppose the move.

Amid the situation, senior leaders are being instructed to stay alert as meeting likely to be called later in the evening on Tuesday.