Former prime minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday thecentral government’s decision to scrap the provisions of Article 370 was not tothe liking of many people in the country and voices of Jammu and Kashmirresidents must be heard for the idea of India to prevail.He also said India ispassing through a “deep crisis” and it needs cooperation of like-minded people.

“Its outcome is not to the liking of many people of ourcountry. It is important that the voice of all these people be heard. It isonly by raising our voice that we can ensure that in the long run, the idea ofIndia, which is very sacred to us, will prevail,” Singh told reporters here.

He made his first remarks on the revocation of the specialstatus of Jammu and Kashmir after paying homage to his cabinet colleague andformer Congressman S Jaipal Reddy, who died in Hyderabad in July.Singhexpressed sadness over demise of Reddy at a time of “great difficulties” whenthe “dark forces” seemed to “overwhelm” the idea of India.

“I feel sad to think that my dear friend Jaipal is not amongus at this time of ‘great difficulties’... India is passing through deep crisisand it requires the cooperation of all like-minded people to challenge the darkforces that are prevalent right now, who seem to believe that they canoverwhelm the idea of India,” he said.The former prime minister rememberedReddy as an optimist and unique human being who was a “staunch supporter” ofstatehood for Telangana.“He played a silent yet crucial role in convincingleaders towards taking the historic decision of dividing Andhra Pradesh andgranting separate statehood for Telangana in 2014,” Singh said.Among thosepaying rich tributes to Reddy were politicians including Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of Indiageneral secretary D Raja and Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, as well asmany former bureaucrats.

Yechury and Raja also denounced the move to strip Jammu andKashmir of its special status under Article 370.

Yechury remembered Reddy as a “friend, philosopher andguide”, saying it was not the time for him to depart as the country is goingthrough a “humongous crisis”.

The government on August 5 revoked the special status ofJammu and Kashmir and split it into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmirwith a legislature and Ladakh without.