Jammu and Kashmir would be given full statehood at an appropriate time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha on February 13, while responding to the apprehensions raised by opposition party lawmakers over the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
The law replaces an ordinance to merge the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) cadre of civil services officers with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre.
"Many MPs said that bringing Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, means J&K won't get statehood. I am piloting the Bill, I brought it. I have clarified the intentions. Nowhere it's written that J&K won't get statehood. Where are you drawing conclusion from?" Shah questioned in the lower house of Parliament.
"I have said in this House and I say it again that this Bill has got nothing to do with the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. Statehood would be given to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time," the Home Minister added.
The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated and downgraded into two union territories - J&K and Ladakh - on October 31, 2019. The move was preceded by the abrogation of Article 370, which provided semi-autonomous status to the region.
On the repeal of Article 370, Shah said the decision taken on August 5, 2019, would not be undone. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have welcomed the abrogation of the law, he claimed, while highlighting the recently held District Development Council (DDC) elections.
"Nobody, not even our rivals can say that there was fraud or unrest during the election. Everyone voted fearlessly and peacefully. 51 percent votes were cast in the panchayat elections. "Those who contested on the poll plank of bringing Article 370 back were wiped out," he added.
Shah also rebutted the criticism from Congress MP Manish Tewari, who raised questions over the government's claim of normalcy in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370.
"Manish bhai (Manish Tewari), recall Congress days. Thousands killed, curfew imposed for days. Adjudge the situation on basis of data. Peace in Kashmir is a big thing. I don't want to recall the days of unrest. Such days won't be there (J&K) again as it's our government now," Shah said.
On the "economic impact" of the Article 370 abrogation, Shah claimed that the Union territory is fairing better through COVID-19 pandemic-induced recession than a couple of Congress-ruled states.
"Due to COVID-19, the whole world is going through a recession. Manish ji (Tewari), you come from Punjab, bring statistics from there, it's your government (Congress) there... or from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh. As far as recession is concerned, J&K is doing better than all of them," he added.
Abrogating Article 370 was necessary to grant rights to the Valmiki community, provide reservation to STs and other backward classes, and crackdown on corruption in the region, the Home Minister claimed.
"What did other parties do in J&K for 70 years?" Shah quipped, adding that the erstwhile state was largely being governed by "two-three families" over the past decades. The BJP-led central government is committed to bring the frontier region to the path of development, he asserted.
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