Mumbai, Oct 17 (PTI) Former Maharashtra Congress leader Kripashankar Singh on Thursday welcomed ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh's statement that his party had voted in Parliament in favour of scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference here, Manmohan Singh said the Congress opposed the "high-handedness" with which Article 370 of the Constitution -- which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir -- was introduced in Parliament.

"Congress voted in favour of the move (revocation of the provision) in Parliament, not against it. Congress feels that Article 370 is a temporary measure, but if a change is to be brought, it has to be with the goodwill of the people of J&K," the former prime minister said.

In a statement here, Kripashankar Singh, a former Mumbai Congress chief who quit the party in protest against the Congress opposition to the Modi government's move on Article 370, hailed Manmohan Singh for his statement.

"I welcome the statement that Congress is not against abrogation of Article 370. Dr Singh also said the Congress voted in favour of the motion in Parliament," he said.

Kripashankar Singh said other prominent members of the Congress should also clarify their position on the controversial constitution provision.

"Dr Singh has supported my stand. I salute him. I call upon other members of the Congress to clarify their position. Everybody should welcome a decision taken in national interest," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)