Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government had no objection to holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir along with the Lok Sabha polls later this year if the Election Commission (EC) so desired.
Replying to a discussion related to a statutory resolution on the President’s proclamation under Article 356 with respect to J&K, which was approved by the House after a debate, Mr. Singh said holding polls was the EC’s mandate and that the Centre would provide the necessary security forces for enabling the same.
Countering the Opposition’s charge that the Congress, National Conference and the PDP were not allowed to form government after PDP-BJP government fell, Mr. Singh asserted that there had been no such conspiracy. He added that it was not the first time that Governor’s rule had been imposed in the State, stating that an one occasion it had remained in force continuously for six years.
Responding to the Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad’s observation that the J&K Governor, who held both legislative and executive powers, had introduced 55 amendments to various laws, the Home Minister said changes were brought in the Panchayati Raj Act to increase the financial power of Panchayats and give them the additional res6ponsibilities of primary education and health centres.
On the allegations of alienating the people of J&K, he said it was wrong to hold the BJP and its government responsible, as the sense of alienation had prevailed even before Independence. He said the BJP-led government had taken initiatives to lessen the alienation, and had been ready even for unconditional talks with the Hurriyat.
Mr. Singh said by taking the risk of holding elections to Panchayats and Urban bodies the Centre had strengthened the grass-roots democratic set-up.
‘Tremendous improvement’
Asserting that the situation in J&K had improved tremendously, the minister said in 1995 as many as 5,938 terrorist incidents were reported, while in 2017 there were only 342 incidents.
Earlier, initiating the discussion, Mr. Azad asked why elections were not held after the BJP pulled out of the State government. Mr. Azad, who supported the resolution, held the BJP responsible for “100%” alienation, alleging that its government had introduced a culture of religion-based identification of officials in the State administration.
Mr. Azad said the past four years had seen the maximum number of ceasefire violations and a large number of people living along the International Border were affected. Terming it a golden period for the State under the previous Congress-led regime, he said it was a Kashmir known for communal harmony and development when the BJP took over.
The senior Congress leader also accused the government of not creating enough job opportunities for the youth, stating that highly educated young men like doctors, engineers and those holding a Phd had joined militancy in the past four years.
Replying to Mr. Azad, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it was not possible for the Congress to evade responsibility for the situation in J&K over the years. He said the stone pelting incidents in the State had started during the “golden” era, in 2010.
