Bill to bifurcate J&K into 2 union territories clears Rajya Sabha test

As several opposition parties walked away, the majority mark of the Upper House was brought down while some non-BJP lawmakers also supported the government's move.

Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal, Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress, N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party and quite surprisingly Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party supported the government on the bill.

About 125 lawmakers voted for the bill and 61 against it in the 242-member Rajya Sabha.

One MP abstained from voting.

Before the voting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Parliament: "We don't believe in politics of religion or vote bank politics?"

"We will see a flourishing Jammu and Kashmir in next few days," he said.

Responding to apprehensions on the resolution and the future of J&K, Shah said,“I would just say that the bill that the Government is bringing is historic. Article 370 has prevented J&K to merge with India rather than being a basis of its merger. The politics of vote bank has looted the youth of the state for over 70 years."

"I would call on the opposition members to debate and discuss on why the benefits of development were not allowed to reach the common people of J&K till now. Politics of religion must be avoided at all costs. Article 370 is equally harmful for people of all religions”, the Minister said.

The Home Minister said, “I want to tell the Kashmiri youth that article 370 holds no benefits for them. It would only benefit a few elite people who want to keep the youth poor for ever and corner all benefits for themselves. Despite so much funds being provided by the Centre, where are the educational and health facilities? Those who support article 370 must know that this article prevents professionals from outside the state to settle down in the state and hence no one wants to go there. Now, the moment this resolution is passed and article 370 is removed, each child would get right of education and each patient would get free health care under Ayushman Bharat.”

Further addressing the Kashmiri youth, he said, “We want to embrace the youth of J&K and give them flourishing opportunities of employment. Even the separate bill for reservation for economically backward classes would not be required if the resolution is passed in both houses as the provision will get automatically applied to J&K, as in rest of India”.

The BJP has only 107 lawmakers, which is way below the majority mark of 121. However, as the Trinamool Congress, which has 13 members walked out and BJP ally Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United boycotted the voting, the majority mark was brought down.

The Congress primarily opposed the bill along with the support of Samajwadi Party, DMK, the RJD and Left parties.

Indian government takes major decision on Kashmir:

The politically-volatile and terrorism wracked Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, a bone of contention and military disputes for over seven decades between two nuclear armed neighbours of India and Pakistan, will not enjoy any special status anymore, as the ruling BJP-led government scrapped Article 370, in a move to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country and bifurcate the state into two.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that the government would scrap Article 370, the constitutional provision that allowed Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws while massive troops deployment continued in the region where the local political leaders were put under house arrest since midnight.

Article 370 allows Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution, flag and right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.

Also the BJP government on Monday announced to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly. Thus Jammu and Kashmir loses its statehood.

The Modi government also scrapped Article 35A, which so far allowed the Jammu and Kashmir state's legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and also provided special rights and privileges to those permanent residents, through the presidential order.

The Home Minister said the decisions have been taken in view of fulfilling the aspirations of people of Ladakh and the internal security in Jammu and Kashmir.

While Kashmir leaders like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti called the moves unilateral, unconstitutional and termed the day as darkest in Indian democracy, a larger number of otherwise anti-BJP political parties of India from Opposition- BJD, BSP, YSR and TRS- welcomed the move of scrapping Article 370.

In his statement, Shah said, "There has been a long pending demand of people of Ladakh, to give it a status of a Union Territory to enable them to realise their aspirations. The Union Territory of Ladakh will be without Legislature. Further, keeping in view the prevailing internal security situation, fuelled by cross border terrorism in the existing State of Jammu and Kashmir, a separate Union Territory for Jammu and Kashmir is being created. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be with legislature."

Both the bills have received the ascent of President Ram Nath Kovind.