Home Minister Amit Shah today moved a statutory resolution in the Lok Sabha to extend President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir for a period of six months. Moving the resolution, he said since the state assembly has been dissolved and the Election Commission has decided to hold fresh elections in Jammu and Kashmir later this year, it is essential that the President's Rule be extended for another six months with effect from July 3, 2019. He said during the Governor's Rule and later President's Rule, the government has hit at the roots of terrorism. The state has seen violence in previous elections, but things have changed, he told the House. He urged the members to rise above party lines to support the resolution. This is the first proposal Mr Shah has moved in the Lok Sabha after being appointed as the home minister in the second tenure of the Narendra Modi government.
Here are the Highlights from the parliament session:
- Those who want to break the country, should feel frightened. The fear should not be in the minds of the the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We consider the people of Jammu and Kashmir as our own. But the doubts that have already been sown, are creating problems.
- We are a Government which is concerned about the voice of Kashmir. Till today, the Panchayats have not been given the right to choose Panch and Sarpanch. Only three families have ruled Kashmir for so many years. Why should they run the Gram Panchayat, the Nagar Panchayat and even the government?
- The welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is our priority. If need be they will be provided with more, since they have suffered a lot. Our government has taken a lot of steps to provide the people with development and happiness.
- Whenever the Election Commission decides, the elections will be conducted in a free and fair manner in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Whether it is the Panchayat elections in Kashmir or the Lok Sabha elections, not even a single drop of blood was shed on the grounds of Jammu and Kashmir and you are saying that there is no control? Control is there, just the perspective is different.
- There was a time when there was no sign of India in Kashmir. State Bank of India signboard was seen with a cloth covering the word 'India'. Murli Manohar Joshi and Narendra Modi risked their lives and unfurled the triclour at the lal chowk. We were not in power then.
So the Home Minister's argument is that because the Congress has used Article 356 more times than anyone else the Modi government is justified in denying the people of J&K an elected government. That's an unacceptable argument. https://t.co/IOsi9aUIKT
- Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 28, 2019
- They are saying we are trampling democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. Before this time, till now 132 times, article 356 has been imposed (President's rule), out of which 93 times Congress has done it. Now these people will teach us democracy?
- Why wasn't Jamaat-e-Islami banned till date? Who did you want to please? It was the BJP government that banned Jamaat-e-Islami. Who put the ban on JKLF? It was the BJP who did it.
- Manish Tiwari is questioning the division of the country today. Today, one-third of Kashmir is not with India, why did it happen? Who called for ceasefire back then? It was Jawaharlal Nehru who did it and gave that portion to Pakistan. You say we don't take people into confidence, but Nehru did it without taking the then home minister into confidence.
- The problem of terrorism in the country comes from the neighbouring country. Kashmir's terrorism is Pakistan-inspired terrorism.
- We are facing the menace of terror because of the mistakes that were made by the Congress.
Jammu and Kashmir has been under Governor's Rule since the BJP ended the ruling alliance with Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party in June last year. To hold elections by the year-end, another extension of President's Rule is needed.There is now zero tolerance to terror, and the government has done a lot over the past year to uproot terror from Jammu and Kashmir, Amit Shah said.