Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress Member Parliament Ghulam Nabi Azad Wednesday gave a report card to Centre Government on J&K, saying people in the border State are not happy with the abrogation of Article 370 and its corollary Article 35-A that provided constitutional safeguards to their land and jobs.
Azad demanded the restoration of statehood to J&K, saying the developmental indicators have been hit since August 5, 2019, when Centre Government abrogated Article 370 and downgraded the State of J&K to a Union Territory.
“The border states of northeast and J&K are very important for India. We should not take any step which will alienate our people there. We were taught by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that we can’t fight at multiple fronts with our enemies, Pakistan and China,” Azad said while taking part in the debate over Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech to the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament.
“If J&K has to progress and if we have to fight with our enemies on borders then we have to take our people into confidence and give them love to keep them united. I request you (Prime Minister) to bring a bill in the parliament for the restoration of statehood. And once statehood is restored, Assembly elections be held there,” Azad said.
Azad said, “I agree abrogation of Article 370 was political agenda of the ruling party (BJP) but I am yet to understand why J&K State was downgraded to Union Territory. I have listened to hundreds of the speeches of Atal Bihari Vajpayee but I never heard him or any BJP leader demanding bifurcation of the State into two Union Territories. It (bifurcation of J&K) was never part of any manifesto of the BJP,” Azad.
Congress leader said he was not able to understand what made the BJP bifurcate one of the biggest States of India. “Perhaps if anyone in the world knows any Indian State other than Delhi, it is Kashmir because of its historical background and its natural beauty. All the heads of the governments across the world know Kashmir and you have made that State a UT. Will anyone convinces me why it was done?” Azad said.
Raising concerns over the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, Azad said all the indicators of the development in both the UTs -Ladakh and J&K- have precipitously fallen below their earlier positions.
“The law and order were better when J&K was a State. Militancy was at its ebb and now it has increased. Developmental works were better when there was a State government, even when it was the BJP-PDP government. Now no development work is going on,” he said.
He said all the parameters of development including tourism and education sectors have been badly hit in both the UTs.
“J&K was better than the national average on nearly 40 parameters of development but everything has ended now,” he said.
Azad said, “Tourists don’t visit the place much now, and the ones that do frequent only the five-star hotels and rarely interact with locals. How can local people benefit from this.”
He asked how can a State develop where educational institutes are shut for two years. “Private school teachers have been laid off. There is no price control and roads are in bad shape. The horticulture sector has been destroyed,” he said.
The internet connection is often cut off, and even when available, it is 2G. “In the age of 4G connectivity, how can our students work with 2G? This is affecting the education of students, especially during this pandemic,” Azad said.
