Only Imran Khan and Congress unhappy with Article 370 abrogation: Rijiju

Union minister Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday that only the Congress and Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan were unhappy with abrogation Jammu and Kashmir's special status. The sports minister said people with vested interest having a monopoly in the Valley's businesses like hotel, transport and real estate were unhappy with the move, but Kashmiris, in general, were happy.

"What can we do if the thinking of the Congress and Imran Khan is identical," he told reporters. Separatists and "anti-nationals" are also unhappy, he added.

Earlier, addressing a meet here, he said the special status to Jammu and Kashmir was granted due to mistakes made by Jawaharlal Nehru and efforts was made Syama Prasad Mookerjee to eliminate the two-flag and two-laws system. Rijiju reiterated that Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir and Aksai Chin are an integral part of India.

On bilateral cricket matches with Pakistan, the minister said it is a sensitive issue and the government will take a call on it. However, he said India will play Pakistan in Olympics as it is bound by rules. Rijiju said India's medal tally has been increasing and sports is being promoted in the country which will help in bagging more Olympics medals.

When asked about the economic slowdown, he said India is affected by global factors but expressed hope that the steps taken by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would improve the situation. "At present, there are virtually no buyers owing to a worldwide economic recession," he said, adding that it is adversely affecting the country's exports.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)