Chennai: Home Minister Amit Shah, making a statement in the Lok Sabha about the status of Jammu & Kashmir, asserted that J&K is an integral part of India and that it included Pakistan-occupied Kashmir also.
Shah moved the statutory resolution based on the Presidential Order scrapping Article 370, which accords special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the Lok Sabha after he moved the resolution, Shah attacked the Congress for “questioning” the status of the State and added that Parliament had the right to make laws on the State.
Yesterday, the Rajya Sabha approved a resolution abrogating Article 370 for Jammu & Kashmir and a bill to bifurcate the state into two Union territories – J&K and Ladakh.
Joining issue this morning in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “I don’t think you are thinking about PoK (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir); you violated all rules and converted a State into a Union Territory overnight,”, citing that many ministers had said the Kashmir issue was a bilateral matter.
In response, Shah said, “I’d like to clarify that Jammu and Kashmir is an essential part of the country, which is evident in both India’s and J&K’s constitutions… it is clearly mentioned that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Hence, no one can stop us from adopting this move.”
Further, an angry Shah asks Chowdhury, “Do you not consider PoK as a part of India? We will give our lives for this region. When I say J&K it also includes PoK. The boundaries of J&K as mentioned in our Constitution includes PoK and Aksai Chin.”
Further, explaining the legality and constitutional basis of the Reorganisation Bill, he said, “According to presidential order from yesterday, by Article 370 (1d) all the Centre’s laws will apply to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a resolution according to which using Article 370 (3), Article 370 can be scrapped.”