"If Article 370 was so bad then...": Farooq Abdullah on PM Modi remarks

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 7 : After Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir today, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said that it is a moment of pride for all of us but if Article 370 was this bad, then how did the Union Territory made progress earlier.
"I am glad that PM visited Kashmir after five years. It is a moment of pride for all of us. This Dynastic rule is a kind of common voice I heard also in the Parliament. In every speech that PM makes he makes a particular target on it. If Article 370 was this bad, I would like the Prime Minister to re-hear the speech made in the Rajya Sabha by the then Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad in which he compared two seats. He compared Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir in terms of progress when Article 370 was there," he said.
"Now, if Article 370 and nepotism are responsible, then how did we made that progress? It is the people's rule, I lost the election as a chief minister. So, where is the dynastic rule?" Farooq Abdullah asked.
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference also pointed out that when Article 370 was there, education from the level of primary schools to universities was free.
"Today, education is only free up to the 14th class. In the universities, you have to pay now. An honest commission has to be put to see what was there before the revoke of Article 370 and what was is thereafter," Abdullah said.
Further, he mentioned that the Prime Minister represents everyone, even those who have not voted for him.
Emphasizing that for every Prime Minister, the people of the nation represents PM's family, he said,"Every Prime Minister's 'parivaar' (family) is his nation. Whether it was Nehru, Shastri, Bajpayee or Manmohan Singh."
He also highlighted that India has moved from a country that used to borrow everything from abroad to a country that produces everything now.
"Progress is a continuous game. So, India has progressed in many ways but the base was laid by the Prime Minister who was there before. Every Prime Minister did what was best for the nation," Farooq Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, noting that Jammu and Kashmir is touching new heights of development and is breathing freely today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that freedom from restrictions has come after the abrogation of Article 370 which was being used by some political families for their benefit.
This was the first visit of PM Modi to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 by his government in 2019.
"For decades, for political gains, Congress and its allies misled the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the name of 370 and misled the country. Did Jammu and Kashmir benefit from Article 370 or were only a few political families taking advantage of it? The people of Jammu and Kashmir have come to know the truth that they were misled. Jammu and Kashmir was kept in chains for the benefit of a few families. Today there is no Article 370, hence the talent of the youth of J&K is being fully respected and they are getting new opportunities. Today there are equal rights and equal opportunities for everyone here," PM Modi said.