The government today announced the repealing of Article 370 which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The resolutions in this regard were adopted by the Rajya Sabha.

The Upper House also passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill, 2019 by voice vote that seeks to make Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory with the legislature and Ladakh Union Territory without legislature.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill 2019 having provisions of 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections of upper caste in the state was also passed by the Rajya Sabha.

Replying to debate on the bills and resolutions, Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that scrapping of Article 370 will benefit all sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir and bring development and check terrorism.

Mr. Shah said, development of the state could not be possible due to this Article and asked the people for five years to make  J&K the most developed state in India. He said Article 370 was the root of all the evils, corruption, and poverty and the main cause of terrorism in the valley.

He said, terrorism cannot be rooted out from the state without scrapping the Article. He said, it is because of this that democracy was never fully implemented, and corruption increased in the state. Mr Shah said, due to Article 370, no big doctor wants to go to Jammu and Kashmir as he cannot buy a house or become a voter there.

The Minister assured that Jammu and Kashmir will go back to being a state from Union Territory as soon as the situation is normal in the Valley.

Mr Shah stated that Article 370 was meant to be temporary but the previous governments did not dare to remove it due to vote bank politics. The Minister said, over 41 thousand people of the state were killed in the last two decades. He said, BJP has always believed that Article 370 is not in the favour of people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister said, only three families of the state were using it to further their own interests.

Earlier, opposing the move, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that by bringing this Bill, NDA government has disintegrated the integration which had occurred in the past 20 to 30 years. He said, it would be what he called a dark day in India’s history.

Other Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram also hit out at the government saying it will have adverse consequences in the future.

Derek O’Brien of Trinamool Congress said the move is unconstitutional. He said it is a Black day for Parliamentary democracy. DMK’s Tiruchi Siva questioned the urgency of bringing the Bill when the elected government is not there. He said the decision should have been taken only after consulting the state legislation.

Prof Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party also questioned the government’s move. He said, it is a decision taken in a hurry. Binoy Viswam of CPI and TK Rangarajan of CPI(M) also opposed the move. Protesting against it, JD(U) and TMC staged a walkout.

On the other hand, TDP’s K Ravindra Kumar supported the Bill saying this will lead to development and employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir. He said, people of Jammu and Kashmir will enjoy equal opportunities as compared to the other citizens of the country.

Supporting the Bill, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sushil Kumar Gupta said this will bring peace in Kashmir and development in the Valley will take place. He said, the party will always support Bills which are in the national interest.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Satish Chandra Mishra said his party is supporting the government’s bill on removing Article 370 in the Rajya Sabha.

Earlier in the day, when the resolutions and the bill were moved, the opposition members created uproar in the House. Raising slogans, the members from Congress, Left, DMK, TMC and others sat in the well over the government’s move. When there was pandemonium in the House, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked the People’s Democratic Party members,  Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway to go out of the House after they allegedly attempted to tear the constitution.

Ghulam Nabi Azad condemned the act saying Congress will protect the Constitution at any cost but BJP has violated the Constitution today.

Similar resolutions scrapping Article 370 were also moved in the Lok Sabha in the post-lunch session.