New Delhi, Feb 13: Home Minister Amit Shah gave an assurance in Lok Sabha on Saturday that the Centre will grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time and asserted that the government has done more for it since Article 370 was scrapped in August 2019 than those who ruled it for generations.
Replying to a discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, he also slammed some Opposition members for their claim that the proposed law negates the hopes of the region getting back its erstwhile statehood.
The bill to merge the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) cadre of all-India services officers with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre was later passed by Lok Sabha by a voice vote.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 has already been passed by Rajya Sabha. It replaces an ordinance issued last month. This legislation has nothing to do with statehood, and Jammu and Kashmir will be accorded the status at an appropriate time, Shah said.
He took a swipe at the Congress and other parties — which had backed Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir — saying this was a temporary provision but they continued with it for over 70 years before the Modi government annulled it.
Jammu and Kashmir has been a top priority for the current government since it took power in 2014, he said. Responding to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Shah said opposition parties were free to visit the region.
Chowdhury had claimed that foreign delegations were being taken to the region, no all-party delegation was sent. The home minister also gave the assurance to the people of Jammu and Kashmir that “no one will lose their land”.
The government has sufficient land for development works, Shah said. Decentralisation and devolution of power have taken place in the union territory following the revocation of Article 370, Shah said, noting that panchayat elections saw over 51 per cent voting.
Panchayats have been given administrative and financial powers for local development, something they lacked earlier, he added. Now people chosen by the masses will rule Jammu and Kashmir, not those born to “kings and queens”, he said, attacking dynastic parties in the region. (PTI)
