Abrogation of Article 370: Has govt met objectives set in August 2019, counters Opposition

Initiating the discussion on Budget and Demands for Grants of the Union Territory in Lok Sabha, Congress member Manish Tewari said, “Has the government achieved the objectives, which it set in August 2019, when it decided to abrogate Article 370, and make Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory to develop the state…to bring industries to the state and to provide jobs to youths?”

“The biggest proof of this is that 73 per cent allocation of the Budget has been earmarked for law and order. It shows that the situation has not improved,” Tewari said.

He said the number of ceasefire violations has gone up from 2,936 in 2018 to 3,279 in 2019, when the government abrogated Article 370 and made the state a Union Territory. “The number had increased to 5,100 in 2020 and despite having a ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, the number of ceasefire violations in 2021 were 664. These numbers were zero during three years between 2004 and 2006 and below hundred till 2013,” Tewari said.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, however, disputed the figures presented by Tewari, saying they were “not true”.

Terming the Budget “for bureaucratic expenditure”, TMC member Sougata Ray said, “The expenditure is roughly about Rs 1,12,000 crore of which capital expenditure is Rs 41,000 crore and the revenue expenditure is Rs 71,615 crore…as you know, the expenditure is mainly on the Home Department and Police (Rs 90,588 crore).”

Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh asked will the Congress party announce on the floor of the House that it will restore Article 370 when it comes to power?

“Perhaps Congress does not remember, Pt Nehru had told Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in the Constituent Assembly that Article 370 will end on its own…but it didn’t in 70 years; we ended it,” he said, adding that the government will not take 70 years to restore the statehood of J&K.

National Conference member Hasnain Masoodi said that this is the fourth J&K Budget in a row that has been presented in Parliament. Masoodi said the government is trying to make a narrative of “normalcy”, which is “completely fake”.

JDU member Sunil Kumar Pintu demanded that the movie — The Kashmir Files — that highlights the plight of Kashmir Pandits should be made tax-free across the country. BJP member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal also raised the same demand.

BSP member Kunwar Danish Ali demanded that elections should be held in J&K as soon as possible. He also wanted to know how many Kashmiri Pandits have been rehabilitated in the last two years. He demanded an immediate ban on movies like Gujarat Files and Kashmir Files.

NCP member Supriya Sule raised the issue of corruption in J&K. “So, what has happened about that corruption after all these wonderful changes that you have made,” she asked. Questioning the government’s claims on employment, she said, “They promised thousands of jobs. Nothing like that has really happened.”

Raising the issue of Kashmiri Pandits, she said, “In this big document, there is no mention of Kashmir Pandits or any specific intervention done for refugees who left Kashmir during the insurgency or who have come back.”

BJD member Bhartruhari Mahtab raised the issue of Baltistan and Gilgit. “When you talk about Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, why do we forget about Baltistan and Gilgit? I believe that there are two seats still vacant in this House as per our commitment. As per the Constitution of this country, two seats still remain vacant and we never ever discuss Baltistan and Gilgit,” he said.

IUML member ET Mohammed Basheer accused the government of “grabbing powers” from the states instead of decentralising.

AIMIM member Asaduddin Owaisi demanded an independent fact-finding commission on exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. He also raised the issue of delimitation of constituencies and questioned the government’s economic policy towards J&K.