Parliament on Monday passed two Bills related to Jammu and Kashmir as the Rajya Sabha cleared them with a voice vote, with Home Minister Amit Shah assuring the country that the beginning of a “new and developed Kashmir” that will be free from terrorism has been made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two bills - JK Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and JK Reservation (Amendment) Bill - seek to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrant community and one representing the displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to the legislative assembly, besides providing reservation to certain communities in Jammu and Kashmir. They were passed by Lok Sabha last week.
The Home Minister said the two bills related to Jammu and Kashmir brought by the government would give justice to those deprived of their rights for the last 75 years and asserted that reservation to the displaced people would give them a voice in the legislature.
He also alleged that Jammu and Kashmir suffered due to the “mistakes” of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and listed decisions like the “untimely” ceasefire and taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations among them. The opposition led by the Congress, however, walked out of the House midway during the Home Minister’s reply.
Earlier the Opposition and treasury benches engaged in a heated verbal duel after a controversial remark by a DMK MP M Mohamed Abdulla during a discussion on Jammu and Kashmir bills, following which Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expunged it and reminded the MPs of the responsibility that came with the freedom of speech.
Abdulla stirred controversy by invoking Periyar’s words, asserting the right to self-determination for every race. This led to a heated debate in the house, prompting the home minister to seek clarification from Congress members on their stance regarding Abdullah’s statement.
As the opposition and treasury benches exchanged heated words, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said if the views of a member were not in consonance with the law of the land and business rules of the House, then the Chairman can expunge those remarks, but asserted that he won’t accept it simply because “the treasury benchers shout and say it is unconstitutional”.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal asked Congress members if they agreed with what Abdulla said. Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal asked the Chairman to go through records and verify in what context Periyar had made the remarks, which was quoted by the DMK member.
Dhankar retorted, “Can we quote anything in this House? Can we go to the extent of it being seditious, challenging our integrity, going against our Constitution?”
Shah then intervened amid shouting from both sides and said it is for the chair to decide if the remarks by Abdulla are to be kept in the records or not. In response, Kharge said Abdulla had only quoted Periyar and whether supporting it or against it can be a matter of discussion but “it is very undemocratic to stop someone from speaking in the house”.
While Congress MP Jairam Ramesh asserted that his party does not support the statement, DMK leader Tiruchi Siva accused the ruling members of creating hype and trying to give a different colour to “a very ordinary statement” made by Abdulla.
Disapproving of M Mohamed Abdulla’s remarks, Dhankhar told the DMK member, who also described the abrogation of Article 370 as an attack on federalism, that the freedom of speech in the Upper House “is not unqualified” in reference to the Supreme Court judgement on the matter.
“Can we quote anything in this House? Can we go to the extent of it being seditious, challenging our integrity, going against our Constitution? Going against the judgement of the Supreme Court this day? That will not be acceptable,” he said during the proceedings.
