New Delhi: Parliament on Monday extended President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir by six months as the Rajya Sabha unanimously approved the statutory resolution on Monday.
The Bills to extend President’s Rule and to provide reservation for people living along International Border were taken up jointly for debate by the Upper House. The statutory resolution on extending President’s rule by another six months with effect from July 3, 2019 and Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 were approved by Lok Sabha on Friday.
Speaking in the favour of the resolution, Union home minister Amit Shah asserted that the Narendra Modi government has zero tolerance for terrorism and is committed to development of Jammu and Kashmir.
The home minister stated that the Modi government is following a policy to protect the sanctity of Kashmiri tradition, humanity and peace.
“We reopened schools, provided cooking gas, built toilets, provided electricity during President’s rule in J&K,” Mr Shah said.
The home minister added that the government does not want to mislead people on Jawaharlal Nehru but lessons have to be learnt from historical blunders.
“All Kashmir problems are due to Nehru declaring ceasefire when one-third of Kashmir was with Pakistan,” he added.
Amit Shah said the government is committed to development of the state in the spirit of ‘Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat, Kashmiriyat’ (humanity, democracy and Kashmiri traditions), a slogan coined by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajapee which has been often quoted by BJP leaders.
Responding to opposition citing Vajpayee’s call for honouring Kashmiriyat, he asked who threw Kashmiri pandits out of state and the Sufi traditions. “Were they not part of Kashmiri tradition,” he asked.
Vowing to give a befitting reply to any attempt to break the country, Shah said separatist movement and terrorism will not be tolerated in Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that India wants peace, but not with those who do not respect its borders.
Replying to a debate in Rajya Sabha on extension of President's rule in J&K by six months beginning July 3, he said the Modi government has “zero tolerance” to terrorism and central agencies such as NIA and tax department are working to choke separatist financing in the state. Shah advocated a new thinking to solve the Kashmir saying the approach of the past 70 years hasn't yielded any result.
“We want development in the (Kashmir) Valley. But we will not tolerate any separatist movement and terrorism. Terrorists who do not want to join with India have no place in the government's scheme of things. They will face severe action and difficulties,” he said.
Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the statutory resolution for extending President's rule as well as a bill to provide reservation to people living in three borders areas of the state.
This completed the parliamentary approval process in both the cases.
Facing flak from opposition for not holding assembly elections in the state alongside the recently concluded general elections, Shah said security agencies had expressed inability to provide security cover to all candidates. The Modi government will hold polls the
