Amid uproar from the Opposition, Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday moved a statutory resolution to extend President’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir for another six months.
Shah said the government has no other option but to extend President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir as the Election Commission wants to hold Assembly elections in the state by the end of 2019.
His remarks came in Rajya Sabha after he moved a statutory resolution to extend President's Rule for another six months, starting July 3.
Responding to the debate on the bill, Shah said the government will bring about the promise of "Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat" - terms first used by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to promise a healing touch for the state.
However, defending the terms, he asked as to what does people understand when someone says "Kashmiriyat" today.
"I agree that we need to preserve Kashmiriyat....Kashmiri Pandits - they were thrown out of the state. Were they not part of Kashmiriyat?" he asked.
He also moved the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill that proposes to provide reservation to people living in the areas along the border with Pakistan on par with residents of areas near the Line of Actual Control.
He also said that the Centre will ensure that one day, the Pandits will return to the Valley and live alongside the Sufis.
"The Election Commission after consultations with Jammu and Kashmir administration and all the political parties decided to hold Assembly polls by the end of this year. The Election Commission took this decision in view of religious events like Ramzan and Amarnath Yatra and the prevailing security situation," Shah said.
Tabeling the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (amendment) Bill in the Upper House, The Home Minister said it will benefit 3.50 lakh people residing in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
"A total of 433 villages in the state including 70 in Kathua, 133 in Samba and 232 in Jammu will be the beneficiaries of the Bill," he said.
Both the Bills have already been passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said in Rajya Sabha that the party will support the extension of President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir by 6 months as proposed by Amit Shah earlier in the day.
Biju Janata Dal too extended its support in the Upper House.
(With inputs from ANI)
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