Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday informed Lok Sabha that the Centre is committed to democratic process in Jammu & Kashmir, while replying to the debate on the Statutory Resolution on the imposition of President’s Rule in the troubled state. The Statutory Resolution on imposition of President’s Rule in Jammu & Kashmir, which requires Parliament’s approval, was adopted with voice vote amid din in the House. The Opposition termed the decision to dissolve the Assembly as “unconstitutional”.
Countering the arguments of the Opposition parties, the Home Minister said that no party in the Assembly was in a position to form the Government even a day before the decision to impose President’s Rule. He also rejected claims of some Opposition parties that the BJP was propping up a regional party under the leadership of Sajjad Lone to form Government, saying if his party had such an intention, it would have done so within six months of the Governor’s Rule.
“The Government doesn’t conduct elections but the Government is ready for election. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to hold elections... We are totally committed to democratic process,” he said. The Minister assured the House that security requirement of the Election Commission will be met for free and fair Assembly election in the State.
Soon after imposition of the Governor’s Rule in June, Singh said, the Governor’s report of June 19 to the President indicated that no party or coalition of parties in the state was in a position to form government. The Statutory Resolution will now go to Rajya Sabha for approval.
Initiating the debate, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said Governor Satya Pal Malik acted in “gross violation” of the Supreme Court order in SR Bommai case that had stated that whether an alliance has a majority or not can be decided only on the floor of the assembly. Malik’s decision to impose Governor’s rule after the NC, PDP and the Congress made a move to form the Government in the State was also in “violation” of the Sarkaria Commission’s guidelines on Centre-state relations, he said.
Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy termed the Governor’s decision as “arbitrary” and claimed the Centre had propped up a rival alliance led by Sajjad Lone, who had the support of “only two MLAs”.
As Home Minister was speaking, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah interjected, saying, “The PDP approached our party and we agreed to provide them support along with the Congress. But the irony was that the fax and phone of the Governor were not working.”
Referring to the decision to dissolve the Assembly without giving an opportunity to the proposed NC-PDP-Cong alliance to form Government in the State, he said, “Governor’s House is not the place to prove majority but the Assembly is. Governor didn’t wait and dissolved it.”
The Home Minister, however, asserted said that no party was in a position to form Government even a day before the Governor took the decision about dissolution of the Assembley. “Our intentions should never be doubted on Jammu & Kashmir. If the BJP had to form the Government, we could have done it within six months of the Governor’s Rule,” he said.
Biju Janata Dal’s Bhartruhari Mahtab supported the resolution, saying the Governor’s rule in the state had become necessary and noted that two main regional parties, the NC and PDP, boycotted the panchayat polls. He said assembly elections should be held in the state along with 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Supriya Sule of the NCP called for holding elections in the State.
Expressing anguish over the situation in J&K, Abdullah said the State is going through great “turmoil” which does not seem to end. “The solution to the problems of the State is not through the police and the Army.... Something has to be done immediately,” the former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister said.