GUWAHATI: Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, Bhubaneswar Kalita, resigned from the Upper House on Monday amid clamour over the Centre's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu & Kashmir.
"I have resigned from Rajya Sabha membership today," he tweeted, fuelling speculation that his stand over the issue may be at odds with that of his party. When asked about the timing of his resignation, he said, "I can only say now that I have resigned from the Rajya Sabha. I had been considering it since the last parliamentary election. I will issue a statement at an appropriate time."
Kalita's term in the Upper House will end next year. He had contested the Lok Sabha election earlier this year from Mangaldoi, unsuccesfully.
Congress was unequivocal in its opposition to the move. "It is an undemocratic move by the BJP government. BJP is killing democracy," Rajya Sabha MP and president of the Assam unit of Congress, Ripun Bora, said.
BJP's Assam ally Bodoland People's Front (BPF), which represents a community that has been fighting for statehood over the past four decades, supported the move to strip J&K of statehood. "I welcome this move. The situation in Jammu & Kashmir was going out of control," Biswajit Daimary, BPF MP in the Rajya Sabha, said. He added, ironically: "Now the Centre should look into fulfilling the demand for separate states, including that of Bodoland."
BJP's other partner in the state, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which bases its political discourse on the Assam Accord and seeks exceptions to "preserve" the state's identity, also celebrated the decision to revoke J&K's special status.
BJP in the state said it is a "historical day" that paves the way for a "unified" India. "Now, Jammu & Kashmir will have an administration that is on a par with the rest of India. This begins the path to 'ek bharat shrestha bharat (one India, great India)'. Revoking special status for Jammu & Kashmir is a great equalizer," president of BJP's Assam unit Ranjeet Kumar Dass said.
"I have resigned from Rajya Sabha membership today," he tweeted, fuelling speculation that his stand over the issue may be at odds with that of his party. When asked about the timing of his resignation, he said, "I can only say now that I have resigned from the Rajya Sabha. I had been considering it since the last parliamentary election. I will issue a statement at an appropriate time."
Kalita's term in the Upper House will end next year. He had contested the Lok Sabha election earlier this year from Mangaldoi, unsuccesfully.
Congress was unequivocal in its opposition to the move. "It is an undemocratic move by the BJP government. BJP is killing democracy," Rajya Sabha MP and president of the Assam unit of Congress, Ripun Bora, said.
BJP's Assam ally Bodoland People's Front (BPF), which represents a community that has been fighting for statehood over the past four decades, supported the move to strip J&K of statehood. "I welcome this move. The situation in Jammu & Kashmir was going out of control," Biswajit Daimary, BPF MP in the Rajya Sabha, said. He added, ironically: "Now the Centre should look into fulfilling the demand for separate states, including that of Bodoland."
BJP's other partner in the state, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which bases its political discourse on the Assam Accord and seeks exceptions to "preserve" the state's identity, also celebrated the decision to revoke J&K's special status.
BJP in the state said it is a "historical day" that paves the way for a "unified" India. "Now, Jammu & Kashmir will have an administration that is on a par with the rest of India. This begins the path to 'ek bharat shrestha bharat (one India, great India)'. Revoking special status for Jammu & Kashmir is a great equalizer," president of BJP's Assam unit Ranjeet Kumar Dass said.
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