Puri Sankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati has said it is in the national interest that the Article 370 of the Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, should be repealed.
The Sankaracharya, who is on a visit to Bihar since last week, reportedly said at Rajgir that the Article 370 was meant only for 10 years after the Independence. But its period was extended to benefit a particular community.The Sankaracharya advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to move ahead without compromising on anything in the matter of national interest.
The Puri seer’s view followed a controversy in the wake of a statement by Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh that the Central Government has started the process for repealing the Article 370.The article specifies that except for defence, foreign affairs, communications and ancillary matters (matters specified in the Instrument of Accession), the Indian Parliament needs the State Governments’ concurrence for applying all other laws.