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Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asks if J&K is internal matter

Congress’ Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioned the legality behind introducing these Bills.

New Delhi: Taking a belligerent stand, home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of talks with the Hurriyat Conference, and told the Lok Sabha that India will continue to claim the territories of Jammu and Kashmir under the occupation of Pakistan, commonly referred to as Pakistan-occupied Kash-mir (PoK).

Mr Shah later withdrew the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (2nd Amendment) Bill 2019, saying that the clauses incorporated in the legislation will automatically come into effect in the two new Union territories. The Bill will also be withdrawn from the Rajya Sabha.

Moving a resolution for revoking provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019, Mr Shah also said there has been a longstanding demand for giving Union territory status to Ladakh, which was fulfilled by the Narendra Modi government.

“Ladakh, including Aksai Chin, will be a Union territory, Both Hill Councils will continue to be active,” he said.

Responding to a query on whether the new provisions would also include PoK, Mr Shah said: “We will give our lives for it.” Aksai Chin is a vast area in Ladakh which is currently under Chinese occupation. The home minister said the “President has signed a Constitution Order 2019 yesterday (Aug. 5), ordering application of all provisions of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir, this means Article 35A is removed”.

The House also saw an uproar, with Congress members and Mr Shah involved in a war of words. Congress’ Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioned the legality behind introducing these Bills.

“You say it is an internal matter. The UN has been monitoring the situation since 1948. Then there is the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. Whether this is a bilateral matter or an internal matter,” he asked, triggering opposition from the treasury benches. Mr Chowdhury later said he needed a clarification on the issue.

Mr Shah said: “These (legislation on J&K) are not only legally right but also constitutionally right.” When some Opposition members asked why was the home minister appearing so aggressive, Mr Shah replied, “I am aggressive because you think PoK is not a part of India.”

Manish Tewari said that if J&K, Junagadh and Hyderabad are a part of India, then it was because of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. To this, Shah said it was an example of discrediting the contribution of Sardar Vallabbhai Patel.

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