NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed legislations to extend women’s reservation to the assemblies of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, pursuant to the women’s quota for Parliament and state assemblies passed in the special session. The debate on the bill, however, became a platform for the opposition to demand early statehood and elections in J&K, and question the government on its “bravado” over PoK and Aksai Chin, while home minister Amit Shah took exception to a TMC MP calling Ayodhya, Article 370 repeal and Uniform Civil Code as “communal”.
Junior home minister Nityanand Rai replied to the debate on the J&K Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, which were passed by a voice vote.
TMC MP Saugata Roy, calling the Supreme Court judgements on the abrogation of Article 370 and Ayodhya issue as disappointing, said BJP’s three-point agenda including UCC was “communal”.
Shah questioned the remark, asking if he was implying that the SC was pursuing a communal agenda. He added that the UCC has been instituted in the Directive Principles by the Constituent Assembly including Jawaharlal Nehru. “Do you mean to say that our Constitution-makers were also pursuing a communal agenda?” he asked.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asked the government to provide a timeline for getting back the PoK and Aksai Chin, and asked if it could be done before the Lok Sabha polls. “Let us assume that Congress did nothing, but you are strong and powerful… you should snatch back PoK… we want to see if you can get it before the elections… you make tall claims inside the House…,” he remarked.
Shah shot back, “I want to ask under whose tenure did we lose Aksai Chin and PoK.”
Questioning Shah’s attacks on Nehru a day earlier, Chowdhury said BJP’s idol Shyama Prasad Mookherjee had formed the government with Muslim League in Bengal led by Fazlul Haque, who finalised the Pakistan resolution. Shah retorted Mookherjee’s “banga bhanga” ensured that Bengal stayed with India, else under Congress design, it would have been part of Bangladesh. Shah said he can also ask to which party did Mohd Ali Jinnah belong to.
National Conference’s Hasnain Masoodi said Centre has given the powers to bureaucrats to rule J&K, adding that Centre is claiming normalcy in J&K which is “half-truth”. “Why are you running from holding polls,” he asked.
Most of the opposition leaders like Supriya Sule (NCP), NK Premachandran (RSP), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena, UBT), Kaushalendra Kumar (JDU) and Gurjeet Aujla (Congress) asked for early statehood to J&K and conduct of assembly elections there. Some members also raised the question of house arrest of Kashmir leaders including of NC and PDP, but MoS Rai denied the charge.
Junior home minister Nityanand Rai replied to the debate on the J&K Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, which were passed by a voice vote.
TMC MP Saugata Roy, calling the Supreme Court judgements on the abrogation of Article 370 and Ayodhya issue as disappointing, said BJP’s three-point agenda including UCC was “communal”.
Shah questioned the remark, asking if he was implying that the SC was pursuing a communal agenda. He added that the UCC has been instituted in the Directive Principles by the Constituent Assembly including Jawaharlal Nehru. “Do you mean to say that our Constitution-makers were also pursuing a communal agenda?” he asked.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asked the government to provide a timeline for getting back the PoK and Aksai Chin, and asked if it could be done before the Lok Sabha polls. “Let us assume that Congress did nothing, but you are strong and powerful… you should snatch back PoK… we want to see if you can get it before the elections… you make tall claims inside the House…,” he remarked.
Shah shot back, “I want to ask under whose tenure did we lose Aksai Chin and PoK.”
Questioning Shah’s attacks on Nehru a day earlier, Chowdhury said BJP’s idol Shyama Prasad Mookherjee had formed the government with Muslim League in Bengal led by Fazlul Haque, who finalised the Pakistan resolution. Shah retorted Mookherjee’s “banga bhanga” ensured that Bengal stayed with India, else under Congress design, it would have been part of Bangladesh. Shah said he can also ask to which party did Mohd Ali Jinnah belong to.
National Conference’s Hasnain Masoodi said Centre has given the powers to bureaucrats to rule J&K, adding that Centre is claiming normalcy in J&K which is “half-truth”. “Why are you running from holding polls,” he asked.
Most of the opposition leaders like Supriya Sule (NCP), NK Premachandran (RSP), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena, UBT), Kaushalendra Kumar (JDU) and Gurjeet Aujla (Congress) asked for early statehood to J&K and conduct of assembly elections there. Some members also raised the question of house arrest of Kashmir leaders including of NC and PDP, but MoS Rai denied the charge.
