SRINAGAR: Union home minister Amit Shah said on Saturday Jammu and Kashmir will be granted back its statehood at an appropriate time as he questioned the Congress’ contribution to the region in the last seven decades. Shah was replying to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who asked the home minister about the promises he made to the people after the abrogation of Article 370, which provided special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The opposition is asking us what we have done for Jammu and Kashmir since 2019. . It has been 17 months since the abrogation and you are demanding an account for it. Did you bring the account of what you did for 70 years? Had you worked properly, you need not have asked us,” Shah asked in the Lok Sabha while replying to the discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
The home minister said he had no objection and will give an account for everything. “But those who were given the opportunity to govern for generations should look within if they are even fit to demand an account,” he retorted.
He said many members of the House have said that bringing the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, means J&K won’t get statehood. “I am piloting the bill, I brought it. I have clarified my intentions. It is not written anywhere that J&K won’t get statehood. Where are you drawing the conclusion from?” he asked. “I have said in this House and I say it again that this bill has got nothing to do with the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. Statehood would be given to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time,” he added.
On Monday, Rajya Sabha’s Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad had reiterated the Congress party’s demand to restore statehood status to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was introduced by minister of state (MoS) for home affairs G Kishan Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on February 4 to replace Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
The new bill aims to merge the Jammu and Kashmir cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers with that of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory (AGMUT). (ANI)
