Indian Prime Minister has finally spoken on his government’s surprising and historic decision to scrap Indian-administered Kashmir’s special status.
On Monday, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah shocked the world when he announced the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government was going to remove Article 370 of the constitution, which grants special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and has been in force for more than seven decades.
Minister Shah also announced the state will be bifurcated into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without a legislature.
It is being seen as a bid to integrate the Muslim-majority state with the rest of the country and announcement has been met with emotional celebration and angry protest.
On Tuesday, a young BJP MP from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal passionately endorsed the changes and said people both in Kargil and Ladakh have supported it being a Union Territory (UT).
“We have struggled for 71 years to make Ladakh a union territory and to be a part of India. The earlier governments gave us no audience and never tried to understand us. Under Kashmir, our development, our political aspiration, our identity, our language – if all of this got lost it is because of Article 370 and the Congress party is responsible for that," he said in his speech to the house that drew applause.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called his speech ‘outstanding’ and that it ‘coherently presents the aspirations of our sisters and brothers from Ladakh’.
Listen to Jamyang Tsering Namgyal on The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 in Lok Sabha
Speaking for the first time since the law was passed; PM Modi said the changes to the state were a ‘momentous occasion in our Parliamentary democracy.’
On Tuesday, the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 was passed with an overwhelming majority of 370 ‘ayes’ against 70 ‘Noes’ in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) and 125 ‘Ayes’ against 61 ‘Noes’ in the Upper House (Rajya Sabha).
PM Modi said for years vested interest groups who believed in emotional blackmail never cared for people’s empowerment.
‘J&K is now free from their shackles. A new dawn, better tomorrow awaits!’ he tweeted.
PM Modi said the new steps will bring the youth into the mainstream and give them innumerable opportunities to showcase their skills and talents.
'Opposition party divided'
India’s Congress Party’s senior leaders stood divided on the issue. While Congress Party's former President Rahul Gandhi called it 'abuse of executive power', Jyotiraditya Scindia came out in support of the move and said the changes were in 'country's interest'.
Meanwhile, the Kashmir Valley continues to remain in lockdown.
India Today reported hotels, guest houses and government buildings had been converted into makeshift jails with as many as 400 politicians, aides and separatist leaders being put under arrest.
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