Opposition divided as several non-Congress parties support BJP's Kashmir move

Two of the most surprising parties which have supported the BJP government are Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The leaders of BSP and AAP- Mayawati and Arvind Kejriwal respectively- are known to be arch-rivals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the saffron outfit.

Kejriwal tweeted, "We support the govt on its decisions on J & K. We hope this will bring peace and development in the state."

Other parties which have supported the move are Biju Janata Dal (BJD), YSR Congress Party and Telegana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS).

So far, the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Left, the DMK, the Muslim League have opposed the BJP's move. 

Unprecedented move by Modi government

Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that the government would scrap Article 370, the constitutional provision that allowed Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws while massive troops deployment continued in the region where the local political leaders were put under house arrest since midnight.

Article 370 allows Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution, flag and right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.

Also the BJP government on Monday announced to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly. Thus Jammu and Kashmir loses its statehood.

The Modi government also scrapped Article 35A, which so far allowed the Jammu and Kashmir state's legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and also provided special rights and privileges to those permanent residents, through the presidential order.