Former chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday that Kashmir would not have been part of India had there not been special provisions like Articles 35A and 370 that gives the Valley its unique and special status, arguing that any debate to repeal them would raise questions on the state’s accession as well.

Omar trashed finance minister Arun Jaitley’s claim that Article 35A was the reason behind poverty in the state, arguing that it was militancy that had ruined its economy.

Omar said Jammu and Kashmir had one of the fastest-growing economies in the country before militancy reared its head in 1990.

“If Modi sahib had maintained the situation that existed when the UPA first handed over the state to the central government (NDA) or when the NC handed over the reigns to the PDP and the BJP, we would have prospered manifold,” he said.