Home Minister Amit Shah told Lok Sabha on Saturday that the government would restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time, and claimed that the Modi government has done more for the Union Territory since Article 370 was read down in August 2019 than those who ruled it for generations.
Mr. Shah was replying to a discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha. He also criticised some Opposition members for their claim that the proposed law negates the hopes of the region of getting back its statehood.
“This legislation has nothing to do with statehood, and Jammu and Kashmir will be accorded the status at an appropriate time,“ Mr. Shah said. The J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill seeks to merge the all India services J&K cadre with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre.
He said the region's union territory status is temporary just like Article 370 itself granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir was supposed to be.
Jammu and Kashmir has been a top priority for the current government since it took power in 2014, the Minister said.
Decentralisation and devolution of power have taken place in the UT following the revocation of Article 370, Mr. Shah said, noting that panchayat elections saw over 51% 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. “Even our rivals could not allege any wrongdoing in these polls which were conducted fairly and peacefully,” he added.
Work on two AIIMS in the region has begun, and the Kashmir Valley will be connected to the railways by 2022, the Minister said.
He assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that “no one will lose their land” adding that the government has sufficient land for development works.
Mr. Shah said the government expects that around 25,000 government jobs will be created in Jammu and Kashmir by 2022.
National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi had, during the debate, advocated the restoration of statehood and advised the Centre to wait for the Supreme Court to deliver its verdict on the legal validity of the removal of special status from J&K before making massive administrative changes.
Published - February 13, 2021 04:00 pm IST
