Opposition members in the Lok Sabha pressed the government for a timeline for holding Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. The Home Minister asserted that the government is ready for the polls, but it is up to the Election Commission to take a final decision.
The two bills, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, seek to provide reservation for members from the communities of “Kashmiri Migrants” and “Displaced Persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir” to the legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. The bills also seek to change the nomenclature of “weak and underprivileged classes” to “Other Backward Classes” in Jammu and Kashmir.
Opposition members questioned the need for these bills and criticized the government’s handling of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. They also demanded that statehood be restored to the Union Territory.
The government defended its actions and said that normalcy has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir. It also said that peace is more important than elections in the Union Territory.
The Election Commission has not yet announced a date for the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
