Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday came down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre, saying it has handled the “sensitive” matter of Jammu and Kashmir in “a very insensitive manner” and the local people have been without representation for the last four years.
He also said that the will of the local people are being ignored and the government is functioning in an autocratic manner through officials brought from outside the state.
Singh made the remarks during a debate in Rajya Sabha on two Jammu and Kashmir Bills.
“(Union Home Minister) Amit Shah ji and the entire BJP try to distort history in their own way. But today if Jammu and Kashmir and especially the Kashmir Valley is ours, then the entire credit for it goes to Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru ji and Sheikh Abdullah ji,” Singh said.
“The issue of Jammu and Kashmir is sensitive but today there is autocracy in the state and no consultation is being taken from the residents there. Their feelings are being disregarded.”
The Congress leader said the statehood of J&K was taken away all of a sudden and now the government is proposing to restore it. He also said that the matter of J&K is sensitive and “we need to understand the situation there”.
Participating in the debate on The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Singh said he was in favour of reservation for the displaced people, but noted that there is no clarity on whether this reservation would be provided after reducing the current reservation for the local people there.
He further alleged that local people at J&K are not getting employment opportunities.
Singh also wanted to know the reason for the house arrest of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, as she claimed during the day. However, Shah promptly said that no one is under house arrest there.
“The L-G has already clarified in the morning on this. She can go anywhere she wants. We would provide security also,” Shah said.
Singh then again made some remarks in response, leading to an uproar from the treasury benches. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal raised and said it was a wrong allegation. Immediately afterwards, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar directed Singh’s remarks be expunged, saying there was a personal observation and prejudicial.
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said: “It’s only because of the decision of Nehru ji’s cabinet that we have Jammu and Kashmir in our country.” Congress MP Rajani Patil said: “Amit Shah ji had said- As soon as the situation in Jammu and Kashmir becomes normal, we will hold elections there and give it statehood. I would like to remind them that it has been 4 years since this happened. But till date the situation there has neither become normal nor has it got the status of a state.”
The two Bills were passed by Parliament on Monday evening after the upper house’s nod.
