BJP MP from Godda, Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey has asked the Central government to introduce a Bill in Parliament introducing Lok Sabha constituencies from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) since a parliamentary resolution exists that recognises this territory as illegally occupied by Pakistan.
Mr. Dubey has, in the past, tried to introduce a private member’s Bill twice in this regard, once in November 2014 and in February 2015 again, with the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha disallowing it on both occasions.
The Bill calls for an insertion of an Article 370A in the Constitution of India, and seeks to add five Lok Sabha seats representing the areas of PoK, which would be perforce vacant, since the Indian government is not in a position to hold elections in those areas. “There are 24 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly kept vacant in acknowledgement of the fact that these areas have been illegally occupied by Pakistan. Why shouldn’t we do the same in Parliament,” said Mr. Dubey.
No delimitation exerciseThe Bill also stipulates that there will be no “delimitation” exercise held for these seats till such time as the territory is under the occupation of Pakistan.
Mr. Dubey’s demand and this Bill reflects the attitude of the ruling party on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, where it has taken an aggressive stance.
Party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain in fact lent support to Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar’s statement on Tuesday that “Pakistan was like hell.”
“I agree with what Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar said about Pakistan being akin to hell. One needs as much security to enter a hotel in Pakistan as it does to guard Tihar jail in Delhi,” he said.
The party insisted that Pakistan needed to be called on the issue of stoking cross-border terror in India.
