On December 6, the Lok Sabha passed two bills in relation to Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 were approved. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing the Lok Sabha, highlighted that these bills aim to bring justice to those who have been deprived of their rights for the past 70 years.
Amit Shah explained that one of the bills focuses on providing representation to people who had to leave Kashmir due to terrorism. Specifically, the bill aims to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrant community to the Assembly, including a woman. Additionally, two seats will be reserved for Kashmiri migrant community members, and one seat in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be reserved for people displaced from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Notably, nine seats will be reserved for SC/ST communities for the first time.
Shah emphasized the importance of these bills for the rights and representation of Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced during times of terrorism. He criticized the previous Congress government for not addressing the issue when it was needed. Shah also shared that 45,000 lives have been lost due to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, expressing hope that by 2026, under the Modi government, there will be no more terror incidents in the region.
Shah discussed the three-year plan to achieve zero-terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that the bills passed are part of the progressive changes brought by Prime Minister Modi. Responding to legal and constitutional concerns raised by the opposition, Shah questioned their stance, pointing out that even Article 370 was challenged for several years without intervention.
Furthermore, Shah touched upon historical mistakes, attributing the suffering in Kashmir to blunders made during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure. He highlighted the ceasefire announcement when forces were winning, leading to the creation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and taking the Kashmir issue to the UN as significant errors.
In summary, the bills passed include amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, and address the reorganisation of the state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature).
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