Nagpur, Dec 11 (IANS): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on the abrogation of Article 370, saying that "Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India", and the move would pave the way to a bright future for the people of the union territory.

He termed it as a 'bold decision' taken by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2019, shortly after the apex court's much-awaited judgement.

Talking to mediapersons outside the legislature, Fadnavis referred to the SC verdict which said the President had all the rights to revoke Article 370 as it was a temporary provision.

This stance has vindicated the stand of the Centre on the issue and signals a huge victory for the country and all Indians, Fadnavis remarked.

Reiterating that J&K is an integral part of India, he said "there is no question of compromising the Indian territory", but on the contrary, the BJP government was committed to safeguarding the interests and aspirations of all those who always wanted the Article 370 to be revoked.

He thanked the Supreme Court, Modi and Shah for initiating the bold and much-needed measure and expressed hopes that the people of J&K and Ladakh could look forward to a much brighter future in the coming times.

State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the Supreme Court has upheld the Centre's decision as Constitutional, which marks a very important decision to ensure a bright future for the people of J&K.

"The decision to remove the Article 370 and 35A under the leadership of PM Modi will have a positive impact on the future generations of Kashmir," said Bawankule.