RS passes bills on nomination of KPs, PoJK refugee, OBCs reservation
New & Developed Kashmir will be free from terrorism
Stone pelters won’t get Govt jobs, 370 nurtured terror
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 11: The Rajya Sabha today passed Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) and JK Reservation (Amendment) bills granting three nominated seats in the Legislative Assembly to two Kashmiri Pandits, one of them a woman, and a Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee and reservation in Government jobs and educational institutions to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for the first time in the Union Territory.
As Lok Sabha had approved the twin bills on December 6, they will become laws following assent granted by President Droupadi Murmu.
The bills were passed after hectic debate and an impressive reply by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha which lasted almost till 8.30 PM in which Shah declared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started beginning of “New and Developed Kashmir” that will be free from terrorism even as he said the Centre will welcome gun-wielding youth of Kashmir if they lay down their arms.
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“There will be no sympathy with terrorists and their sympathizers. Those having the history of stone pelting and any sort of links with the terror and terrorists won’t get Government jobs in J&K,” he said, adding that the process of dismissing the Government employees having terror links will go on.
Asserting that many youth laid down arms and joined mainstream in North East, the Home Minister asked the gun-wielding youth of Kashmir to surrender weapons and join the mainstream and the Centre will welcome the move. He said the Centre has started zero terror and complete area domination plan under which Kashmir will become terror free.
The Home Minister, like December 6 when he replied to debate on two bills, launched scathing attack on Congress as well as Abdullahs and Muftis saying he would have gone into depression and wouldn’t show face in the Parliament for at least a month after facing such a defeat in the Supreme Court (on Article 370 verdict).
“But look at them (the Opposition), they are holding a press conference that Article 370 was scrapped through wrong means,” he said.
“Main Inko Nahi Samjha Sakta, Meri Maryada Hai (I cannot make them understand, I have a limit),” he said referring to the Congress.
Shah said a new jail is being constructed only for the terrorists at the cost of Rs 105 crore in Jammu and Kashmir and it will not be possible for the militants to breach its security.
The Home Minister said Article 370 led to separatism, which nurtured terrorism.
“There are other States with more Muslim population than Kashmir. Then why only J&K was suffering from terrorism? It was because Article 370 led to separatism,” he said.
He said Congress should consider changing its position. “Or your numbers will go down further. In 2024 (Lok Sabha polls), Modi will become PM for the third time,” he added.
Shah said that the beginning of building a “new and developed Kashmir” that will be free from terrorism has been made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and added that full statehood would be restored to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time.
“The beginning of building a ‘New Kashmir’ has been made which will be free from terrorism. The foundation of a ‘new and developed’ Kashmir has been laid and when India becomes developed, Kashmir will stand equally among the other states, where tourists from across the world would come,” Shah said.
“We are committed to providing justice to the people of Kashmir, its youth and children. We are sensitive towards them and not towards terrorists,” he said while attacking the Congress.
He continued to hit out at first Prime Minister of India and Congress leader Jawahar Lal Nehru saying it was said that Kashmir is part of India due to Nehru.
“But I want to ask, there was a bigger problem in Hyderabad, did Nehru go there? Did Nehru go to Lakshadweep, Junagarh or Jodhpur. He only used to go to Kashmir and even there he left the job unfinished. Why did Digvijaya Singh (Congress MP) not name Sardar Patel in context of Kashmir. Integration of Jammu and Kashmir was delayed as pressure was mounted on Maharaja to include one person-Sheikh Abdullah. You have to answer for the past,” the Home Minister said.
He also alleged that Jammu and Kashmir suffered due to the “mistakes” of Nehru and listed decisions like the “untimely” ceasefire and taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations among them.
“If there was no untimely ceasefire (during the war with Pakistan), there wouldn’t have been a PoJK. Our country was winning, had he (Nehru) waited for two days, entire Kashmir would have been ours,” he said.
On reservation, Shah asked Congress who blocked reservation to Gujjars and Bakerwals for 75 years.
“It was with these three families (Abdullahs, Muftis and Gandhis). I want to tell Digvijaya Singh (Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member) that whenever he smiles, there is a problem. So when he smiled and asked this question, I understood he wants to pit Gujjars against Bakerwals. This will not disturb the reservation for Gujjars,” he said.
Attacking the Opposition saying it is unable to see the change on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir after the scrapping of Article 370, he said the entire country has understood that it was first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s mistake in handling the Kashmir issue.
Shah also asserted that Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) is an integral part of India and no one can snatch it.
The Government has ensured reservation of 24 seats to people from PoJK in the J-K Assembly, he said.
“I want to assure the people of the country, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised from the ramparts of the Red Fort that the youth of Kashmir will no longer carry guns or stones and will instead carry laptops. The Supreme Court verdict is a historic decision and I welcome it. Now there will be only one Constitution, one flag and one Prime Minister,” the Home Minister said.
In an apparent reference to the Nehru, Abdullah and Mufti families, Shah alleged that three families deprived the ST and poor people of Kashmir of their rights, as several laws were not implemented in Jammu and Kashmir earlier.
“They (Opposition) will not be able to see the change, there is a problem with their glasses. They are not ready to rectify their mistake…. But people do not care anymore about them. The entire country has understood that it was Nehru’s mistake,” Shah said.
He also attacked the Congress for being against the Other Backward Classes, alleging that it was because of them that the OBCs did not get reservation under various schemes in Jammu and Kashmir, which the new bills have now ensured.
Shah also said that the Congress has always been opposed to OBCs and their rights as they opposed the Mandal Commission too.
“The Congress party has always opposed the other backward classes and their rights,” he said.
Shah said people have rejected those who talk of separatism.
“Have you seen any large gatherings at funeral processions of terrorists after the abrogation of Article 370 in JK,” he asked, asserting that the policy says terrorists will be buried at the place of their death.
“We have tried to finish the ecosystem of terror funding… We entered their home to take revenge for terror incidents in Uri, Pulwama,” the Home Minister said, stressing that the government has no sympathy for terrorists.
Shah informed the House that two crore tourists visited Kashmir post Article 370 abrogation, over 100 film shoots have taken place and three theatres have opened and another 18 are in the offing.
The Minister said there has been a 70 per cent reduction in incidents of terrorism during the Modi Government as compared to ten years of the UPA government.
There were 7,217 terrorist incidents between 2004 to 2014 under PM Manmohan Singh, which have now reduced to 2,197 incidents in ten years of the Modi regime, he said, citing figures.
“The youth who used to carry stones earlier, the Modi government has helped them carry laptops now,” he said, noting that the people of Kashmir ignore those who talk of separatism and terrorism under the guise of 370 and instead want the focus to be on development issues.
Just in hydroelectricity, he said the government has invested Rs 30,000 crore and is focusing on railway and other infrastructure.
After a gap of 30 years, Muharram processions in the Valley have taken place under the Modi government.
Shah said 42,000 people have lost their lives due to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir so far and the government’s focus was on ending the terror ecosystem.
Shah also targeted the Congress and INDIA bloc over the huge recovery of cash during income tax raids on a company linked to a Congress MP from Jharkhand, wondering why he has not yet been suspended by the Congress.
He said the bank machines have also given up and the counting of notes has continued for more than five days.
Highlighting the initiatives undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, the Union Home Minister said that the Government finished the ecosystem of terror funding in the region.
“We have done the work of finishing the ecosystem of terrorism. Many terrorism finance cases have been registered, 229 arrests have been made in terror finance cases. Properties worth Rs 150 crores have been seized and SIA has frozen 134 bank accounts with Rs 100 crores in them,” he said.
The opposition led by the Congress, however, walked out of the House midway during the Home Minister’s reply.
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