Since the resolution passed in the maiden session of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after the first Union Territory government took over, the statements continue to pour in with the opposition targeting the alliance partner—Congress to make its stance clear on the Article 370, which was abrogated by the Central government on August 05, 2019. The Congress has maintained silence over the issue for a long, but as soon as the resolution was passed, the party was targeted by the ruling-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in centre during the election campaigning in Maharashtra and elsewhere, prompting the Congress party to clear its stance, claiming that the Article 370 is gone and the resolution passed in the Legislative Assembly is purely for the restoration of Statehood and the special status and claimed that there was no mention of Article 370 in the resolution. The opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir however, took the opportunity to criticize the government for what they termed as betrayal with the people by the government for shifting its focus from Article 370 to Statehood. The back to back statements have raised fingers on the alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir in which Congress has extended the support to National Conference (NC) to form the first elected government in the Union territory of J&K. However, since the accusations continue, the National Conference has made a statement claiming that the government is intact. But, it would be interesting to see whether the Congress would change its stance or continue to extend its support to the resolution passed in the Legislative Assembly.
Water transport needs pace
In yet another step towards easing the road traffic congestion, the plans to introduce inland water transport, would serve the...