The defence minister said that scrapping Article 370 was necessary because it was "like cancer which bled Kashmir"

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Sunday claimed that more than three-fourth of the population in Jammu and Kashmir was in favour of abrogation of Article 370 that granted special status to the state, news agency PTI reported.

Speaking at the party’s Jan Jagran Sabha in Patna, the defence minister said that revoking special provision of Article 370 was necessary because it was “like cancer which bled Kashmir”.

“Article 370 was cancer that bled Kashmir. More than three-fourths of the state population was in favour of abrogating it,” Singh was quoted by PTI as saying.

Singh added that the BJP never softened its stance on Article 370 and its abrogation proved the honesty and the credibility of the party.

In a stern warning to Pakistan, Singh said that he hoped the country did not “repeat the mistakes of 1965 and 1971”, adding that talks with Pakistan will only be on Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

“Let’s see how many terrorists Pakistan can send, none of them will go back. A terrorist in one country cannot be considered freedom fighter in another,” he added.

Singh had earlier stated that while India’s nuclear policy has always been based on ‘no first use’ doctrine, its future policy will depend on the circumstances.

“Pokhran is the area which witnessed Atalji’s (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) firm resolve to make India a nuclear power and yet remain firmly committed to the doctrine of ‘No First Use’. India has strictly adhered to this doctrine. What happens in future depends on the circumstances,” he had said in Rajasthan’s Pokhran.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since February 14, when 40 CRPF men were killed in a suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama. The Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed that it was behind the attack. The tensions soared when on August 5, the Narendra Modi-led government decided to abrogate Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.