New Delhi, August 5: On the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, political tensions flared in the Parliament complex on Wednesday. The Congress party, along with a united opposition, accused the central government of stripping the rights of the people in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded the restoration of the region’s statehood. The government faced allegations of obstructing parliamentary proceedings and ignoring judicial orders.
Congress MP Pawan Khera described this day as a “black chapter” in history, stating, “On this day, the dignity and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir were taken away. This morning, the united opposition marched to demand that the people of Jammu and Kashmir regain their rights. Statehood should be restored, along with their constitutional rights to land, jobs, opportunities, and resources. This is our demand and that of the united opposition.”
Khera further emphasized, “It has been seven years since the dignity and special status of the people of Kashmir were stripped away. Reflect for a moment on what the people of Kashmir have endured. Their rights have been taken from them. We have consistently raised this issue. This morning, the entire united opposition marched to demand that the people of Jammu and Kashmir regain their rights. They should not only be granted statehood but also have their constitutional rights related to land, jobs, opportunities, and resources fully restored. I urge my colleagues from the National Conference to advocate for this issue more vigorously.”
Questioning the proceedings in the House, Khera targeted the government, saying, “Let the House function. Send the Prime Minister to the House. Send the Home Minister to the House. The House will function. Why are they afraid? Why don’t they come?”
Addressing the issue of pellet guns, he remarked, “You can call Meta for the Prime Minister’s case, but when pellet guns are used against children, we are calling the Home Minister, and he is not coming. Is the Prime Minister’s image more important than the safety of children?”
Congress MP Vivek Tankha raised concerns about the respect for the judiciary. He stated, “Perhaps I don’t need to remind you that I am the only Kashmiri Pandit in the entire Parliament. When I began discussing the bill, I noted that you brought this ordinance on May 26. The Supreme Court was closed on May 30 and reopened in July, and the parliamentary session had just begun. What was the rush to bring this ordinance? With 95,000 cases pending, appointing two or three judges won’t resolve them immediately. You could have introduced it in July.”
Tankha added, “They have no objection to increasing the number of judges, but the government does not respect the judiciary. In the Article 370 case, the Supreme Court’s three-judge bench directed that elections be held as soon as possible and that statehood be restored promptly. However, the government has taken no action on these directives. When you ignore the judiciary, it all seems pointless. If you are undermining the judiciary and disregarding its directives, what is the purpose of all this?”
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari stated, “We support the restoration of statehood. What has been taken away must be returned. I want to particularly emphasize that since yesterday, it seems the government is unilaterally running the House. This is the Council of States, where the Rajya Sabha represents the states. It is wrong that MPs are not allowed to raise issues related to their states.”
The opposition claims that following the decision made on August 5, 2019, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have not only been deprived of political rights but have also faced impacts on their employment, land, and resources.
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