A Bill empowering the Centre to collect statistical data from Jammu & Kashmir was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday even as various Opposition parties said the move was not proper in view of Article 370 which grants special status to the State.
Opposition MPs urged the Government to take the J&K Assembly into confidence before getting The Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed.
Responding to the issues raised by various members regarding the special status of J&K, Statistics Minister D V Sadanand Gowda said the provisions of the Bill do not infringe upon the rights of Kashmiris and the Centre was not overriding Article 370 or encroaching upon the powers of the state government.
The legislation, which was passed by the lok Sabha in April this year, will facilitate in organising data collection under the provisions of the principal act throughout the country including Jammu and Kashmir.
Participating in the debate on the bill, leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, who hails from J&K, said the question was not of merit of the legislation but of the Constitution which accords special status to the state.
Referring to a statement by his colleague in the Congress party Jairam Ramesh, Azad said the party is not opposed to the bill but everyone knows that Jammu and Kashmir has special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.
Azad alleged that the Centre had not consulted the State Government or the Opposition in the matter.