Rajya Sabha passes bill to extend President's rule in J&K
Rajya Sabha on Monday approved a statutory resolution for the extension of President's rule in Jammu & Kashmir for six more months with effect from July 3. Home Minister Amit Shah's bill for extending President's rule in J&K was passed with support from the Samajwadi Party and Biju Janata Dal. The Upper House also passed Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019. Here's more.
Shah, who moved the bill to extend President's rule in J&K, also targeted former PM Jawaharlal Nehru while delivering his speech in Rajya Sabha and accused him of creating the Kashmir dispute. Also, while responding to the debate on this bill, Shah said that the Modi government is committed to fulfilling former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's promise of Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat, and Kashmiriyat to J&K.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha: Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that solution of Kashmir's problem should be in "Jamuriyat, Kashmiriyat, insaniyat", I reiterate today that Modi led government is also working on Atal ji's path of "Jamuriyat, Kashmiriyat, insaniyat" pic.twitter.com/gv1LlydUxx
— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2019
"Modi government's commitment to the policy of 'Jamhooriyat, Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat' should not be taken to mean that the forces that want to divide India will be spared. They will be given an appropriate response in their same language," Shah said.
Shah said the Center is left with no other option than to extend President's rule for six months as the Election Commission plans to conduct J&K Assembly elections around the end of the year. J&K has been under President's rule since December last year after the expiry of the six-month Governor's from June 2018 after BJP pulled out of the coalition government with PDP.
After the Pulwama attack in February, the Election Commission decided in March that J&K Assembly elections will not be conducted along with Lok Sabha elections. It said that the state government advised against simultaneous elections due to the law and order situation in J&K. Following the announcement, however, political parties in J&K alleged the BJP-led Center wasn't keen on initiating the democratic process there.
Meanwhile, the other bill tabled by Shah - the J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - was also passed by Rajya Sabha. It proposes to provide reservation in educational institutions and government jobs to people living within 10km of the International Border in J&K.
