Seats To Be Reserved For Kashmiri Pandits, PoK Refugees In J&K Legislative Assembly: Key Highlights Of Amit Shah's Speech In Lok Sabha

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday (6 December) replied to the discussion on The Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha.

The bills were tabled on Tuesday (5 December) in the Lok Sabha.

Here's what Shah said in his response to the discussion on the bill.

Justice through J&K Bills

Amit Shah stated in the Lok Sabha that the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill are designed to deliver justice to those deprived of their rights for the past 70 years.

He emphasised, "The two Bills will bring justice to those who have been deprived of their rights for the past 70 years".

Representation in Assembly

Shah highlighted that the Bills aim to provide representation in the assembly to those who had to leave Kashmir.

He expressed satisfaction that no one opposed the Bills while deliberating upon them.

"I am glad that throughout the whole discussion and debate over the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2023, no member did oppose the 'Tattva' (Substance/Element) of the Bill," he said.

Addressing Past Failures in Tackling Terrorism

In a critical reflection on past politics in J&K, Shah remarked, "Had terrorism been tackled at beginning without considering vote-bank politics, Kashmiri Pandits wouldn't have had to leave valley".

"When they (Kashmiris) were displaced, they had to become refugees in their own country. According to the latest data, 46,631 families and 1,57,967 people were displaced within their own country and were displaced in such a way that they were uprooted from their state," he said.

"This bill is to give them rights, to give them representation," the Home Minister added.

Reservation for Displaced from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

Shah also announced that under the provisions of the bill, "One seat in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Assembly is to be reserved for those displaced from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir".

"In a way, three wars happened in Kashmir! Pakistan attacked Kashmir in 1947; over 31,000 families were displaced during this. Notably, 10,065 families were displaced during the wars of 1965 and 1971. A total of 41,844 families were displaced during these three wars of 1947, 1965 and 1969. This bill is an attempt to give rights to those people, to give representation to those people!," he said.

Criticism of Congress Party's Policies

Shah accused the Congress of neglecting the welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), saying, "Cong has done greatest harm to OBCs."

He contrasted this with the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he said has been working relentlessly for the welfare of backward classes.

Article 370 was root cause of terrorism in J&K

Shah highlighted that during the 1994-2004 period, a total of 40,164 incidents of terrorism were registered in J&K.

During the 2004-2014 period, a total of 7,217 incidents of terrorism took place, he added.

"Notably, during the 2014-2023 period, under the Narendra Modi Government, the total incidents of terrorism registered have been around 2,000; it marks a 70 per cent reduction in the incidents of terrorism from what it was earlier!" he said.

"That is why I was right in saying that the root cause of separatism, the root cause of terrorism was nothing but Article 370," Shah said.