On Monday, Union Home Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah pulled off a legislation – the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill — in Rajya Sabha that is set to define his political career in national politics. That Shah, a quintessential organisation man, chose not to address his scheduled session to party MPs during the two-day training session over the weekend, except his brief address at the inauguration, got BJP MPs curious about the coming move. In the last two days, Shah worked from his office in Parliament House complex, holding meetings with all those mattered on this issue.
In one stroke, Shah has managed to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and paved the way for delimitation of Assembly constituencies of the newly created Union Territory of J&K, where the party hopes to correct the skew in favour of Kashmir Valley and enhance electoral heft of Jammu region. With this move, more Hindus — including refugees from Pakistan and PoK — can not only purchase land and settle in the Valley but also get more Dalits and people belonging to weaker sections benefit, which the party hopes will reflect in the electoral results.
The decision came amid Opposition’s protests in Parliament and outside on Monday. While, NDA allies Shiv Sena, AIADMK and SAD backed the government move. However, NDA’s ally JD(U) chose to stage a walkout as soon as Home Minister Amit Shah moved the resolution on Article 370 and the bifurcation bill.
Lok Sabha adjourned for the day.
Amit Shah proposes to revoke the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Bill.
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Resolution revoking special status of Jammu and Kashmir passed in Lok Sabha.
Lok Sabha passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill which seeks to divide the state into two Union Territories. Besides the bifurcation Bill, the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 was also passed in the Lower House of Parliament. Both the bills were cleared by Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Lok Sabha votes on Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill.
Amit Shah: What equality does Article 370 stand for? When Kashmiri Pandits were thrown out of Kashmir because Article 370 was in place, where was the idea of equality? Those who support Article 370 are anti-Dalit, anti-tribal, anti-women and anti-education.
Amit Shah: Asaduddin Owaisi said we're going to commit a historical mistake. We're not going to commit a historic mistake, we're going to correct one. After 5 yrs, seeing development in J&K under leadership of PM Modi, ppl of valley will understand drawbacks of Article 370
"Imposing emergency, Congress had transformed the whole country into an Union Territory in 1975," said Amit Shah in response to Manish Tiwari's accusation that the current government had broken J&K into two UTs overnight.
The government won't have a problem in restoring J&K's statehood once the situation is back to normal, said Amit Shah. He added that the connectivity to the valley has been snapped to prevent rumours to spread panic among the local people. According to Shah the situation is nothing compared to the situation the valley had experienced between 1989 to 1995 when it was under curfew for years.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Law Minister: Whoever supports militancy, only they are worried about the decision (of the scrapping of Article 370)
Owaisi: What will happen on Eid? Eid is on Monday. Are you assuming that Kashmiris instead of sacrificing lamb should sacrifice themselves? If you want that I'm sure they'll do that, they've been doing that.
Asaduddin Owaisi termed the decision to scrap Article 370 as a historic mistake. "You kept your promise made in manifesto, but did not lived up to your constitutional duties," he said.
Anupriya Patel, Apna Dal MP: Because of Article 370, democracy was being strangled. The people of Kashmir want development, prosperity and don't want to be the puppets at the hands of a few regional political personalities.
By scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35A, a lot of protection has been given to the minorities, said SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Home Minister Amit Shah said, "I have made it clear thrice, Farooq Abdullah ji is at his home, he is not under house arrest, he is not under detention. He is in good health, mauj-masti mein hain, unko nahi ana hai toh gun kanpatti par rakh kar bahar nahi la sakte hum (he is fine. if he doesn't want to come to LS, I can't bring him here at gunpoint)."
Tharoor termed the decision to scrap Article 370 as legislative authoritarianism. "It betrays the spirit of the Constitution," he said, adding that in the name of unity, the government are promoting division, in the name of prosperity, it is are promoting poverty.
Shashi Tharoor: The decision has already done serious damage to our international standing. The way the Amarnath pilgrims were evacuated using the false pretence of terrorism, utter secrecy about the deployment of troops have exposed contempt of liberty of people. The decision has changed the constitutional relationship of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the Republic of India.
Chirag Paswan: From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, PM Modi has bound the country in one string. I believe the decision will help the brainwashed youth of Kashmir to return to the mainstream.
Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, BJP MP from Ladakh: You (Congress) have tried to destroy the Buddhists in Jammu and Kashmir by misusing Article 370.
P. K. Kunhalikutty: By this decision, you are weakening the peace-loving people of the Valley. You are thinking, with your communal agenda, you will make the people forget their starvings, problems. But you will be sorry about this later. Dividing and ruling is the trick of the British.
Uproar in Lok Sabha after Hasnain Masoodi rejected BJP's claim that Article 370 was the idea of Syama Prasad Mukherjee. As Masoodi said Syama Prasad Mukherjee never talked about Article 370 and asked BJP to give instances to prove it, Amit Shah accused Masoodi of bringing in false allegations on them.
Th government should have consulted the people of Kashmir (before bifurcating it), said National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi in Lok Sabha.
Akhilesh Yadav: BJP did nothing for the majority of people. They have worked for only 20 crore people, ignored the rest 110 crore. Home Minister has to clarify if the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir is a part of India or not.
Farooq Abdullah neither detained nor arrested; he is at his home on his own will, said Amit Shah in Lok Sabha.
In Lok Sabha, Minister of State in PMO and MP from Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Jitnedra Singh, said, "The common man in the streets of Srinagar is rejoicing the abrogation of Article 370. There is, however, a veil of fear that is hindering them." He also said Article 370 was a miscarriage of history and it was the greatest mistake done by the previous regime to the people of Kashmir. He said only Modi and Shah had the political will to revoke it.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says, "We cannot support this bill. We cannot vote for this bill. They should have spoken to all political parties and the Kashmiris. If you need to arrive at a permanent solution, then you have to talk to all stakeholders."
With Congress leaders split on scrapping of the special status to Jammu-Kashmir, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Monday slammed the BJP government saying “national integration isn’t furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K”. He also warned that the government’s move will have “grave implications for our national security”. Read More
All India Trinamool Congress' Sudip Bandhyopadhyay says, "We feel that Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah are being kept arrested unnecessarily. If we take part in the voting of this Bill, whether we vote in favour or against, we will become party to this Bill. So, we have decided to walk out, with the request that no atrocities should take place in Jammu and Kashmir."
Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jitender Singh calls the Article 370 a miscarriage of history. "And after 70 years we have the opportunity to redeem ourselves....If Jawaharlal Nehru had allowed his Home Ministry to deal with Jammu and Kashmir as he had done with other states this wouldn't have happened," says Jitendra Singh.
In Rajya Sabha, the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, is being discussed. Ramivilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, speaks. The new legislation would examine products before, during and after buying. If found faulty, instead of earlier individual examination, the entire batch should be examined. K.C. Ramamurthy, INC, talks about unfair trade practice as defined by the Bill and the punitive measures prescribed.
Union Home Minister, at the beginning of the proceedings, said, "When I talk about Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin are included in it."
DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran in Lok Sabha: Mr Farooq Abdullah, a member of this House is missing. He is arrested. We have no intimation. You, as a Speaker, should protect the members. You should be neutral. On the other hand, DMK's Thalikkottai Baalu says that the will of the people is not reflected in the move. "You are reducing a mighty state government into two municipalities."
Manish Tewari also says, "In last 70 years, several times we saw demands that union territories be converted into states but this is probably the first time in history that a state has been converted into a union territory. There cannot be a bigger blow to federal structure than this."
"Indian constitution does not have only Article 370. It also has Article 371 A to I. They provide special rights to Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra, Sikkim etc. Today when you're scrapping Article 370, what message are you sending to these states? That you can revoke Article 371 tomorrow? By imposing President's rule in the northeastern states, and using the rights of their Assemblies in the Parliament, you can scrap Article 371 too? What kind of Constitutional precedent are you setting in the country?" Manish Tewari said.
"According to the instrument of annexation, any changes in the Constitution can be made only with the consensus of the state government. In Jammu and Kashmir, where is the Constituent Assembly? Section 3 of the Constitution says consultation with assembly should be done before changing the boundaries of any state" Congress leader Manish Tiwari said. When BJP questioned Congress' move of dividing Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Tiwari said, "We had spoken with the government at state. This is in the record of Parliament. In Jammu and Kashmir's case, you have the wrong interpretation of the Constitution."
Congress leader Manish Tewari says that after Independence, Maharaja Hari Singh had signed a standstill agreement with Pakistan, which India had refused to sign. It was Jawaharlal Nehru's government which had protected Jammu and Kashmir when it was under attack from Pakistan, he adds.
This is a historic moment in India's history. What we're are discussing today will impact generations. Many have been questioning the legality of the President Order that I brought in Rajya Sabha yesterday. Parliament has the right to make laws on Jammu & Kashmir." Appealing to the House to vote in favour for the Bill, Shah adds, "This bill and resolution will ensure that J&K will remain with India forever."
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury replies: " You say that it is an internal matter. But it is being monitored since 1948 by the UN, is that an internal matter? We signed the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration, was that an internal matter or bilateral? S Jaishankar told Mike Pompeo a few days before that Kashmir is a bilateral matter, so don't interfere in it. Can J&K still be an internal matter? We want to know. Entire Congress party wants to be enlightened by you.
Responding to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, Amit Shah says,"I'd like to clarify that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country, which is evident in both India's and J&K's constitutions...it is clearly mentioned that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Hence, no one can stop us from adopting this move. Asserting that PoK is also part of India, Shah asks Chowdhary: "Do you not consider PoK as a part of India. We will give our lives for this region. The Jammu and Kashmir we talk about includes Pak-occupied Kashmir."
It's Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury verses Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha. Adhir says, "I don't think you are thinking about PoK, you violated all rules and converted a state into a Union Territory overnight." He asks how the Jammu and Kashmir issue can be considered an internal matter when so far it has been considered a bilateral issue. "Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir are under house arrest. We are not getting to know anything," says Chowdhury.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah moves the resolution to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in Lok Sabha. Shah on Monday pulled off a legislation – the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill — in Rajya Sabha that is set to define his political career in national politics.
Congress to have Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari as speakers on J&K Reorganisation Bill, in Lok Sabha.
A meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national working president JP Nadda, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar & Nitin Gadkari is underway, at the Parliament.
Welcome to our LIVE blog. The J&K Reorganisation Bill, 2019 and the J&K Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 will be tabled in Lok Sabha today. The Bill to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature similar to Delhi or Puducherry, and Ladakh without one like Chandigarh, was passed with a two-thirds majority in Rajya Sabha. Follow to get the latest updates!