Govt handled sensitive matter of Jammu & Kashmir in insensitive manner: Digvijaya Singh

New Delhi: The government has handled the 'sensitive' matter of Jammu and Kashmir in a very insensitive manner and the local people have been without representation for the last four years, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said on Monday.

The will of the local people are being ignored and the government is functioning in an autocratic manner through officials brought from outside the state, he said during a debate in Rajya Sabha.

The Congress leader said the statehood of J and K was taken away all of a sudden and now the government is proposing to restore it. Singh further said that the matter of J&K is sensitive and 'we need to understand the situation there'.

He accused the BJP and Home Minister Amit Shah of distorting facts while talking about the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

'If J&K and Kashmir valley is with India, the credit goes to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah,' he said. 'No matter how much Amit Shah ji speaks about Jawaharlal Nehru, the fact is that Kashmir valley is with India because of Nehru who had faith in Sheikh Abdullah.' On the government's Article 370 move in 2019, Singh said 90 per cent of its provisions were already gradually assimilated in the Indian constitution and there was hardly anything left when it was abrogated.

The valley witnesses terrorism on a daily basis, he said.

Speaking on The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Singh said he was in favour of reservation for the displaced people.

However, he also added that there is no clarity on whether this reservation would be provided after reducing the current reservation for the local people there. Singh further alleged that local people at J&K are not getting employment opportunities.

'Contractors are coming from outside. Local people have no rights,' he said. 'There is an autocratic rule there. Local people are not consulted. Officers from other state cadres are brought there. For the last four years, there is no assembly there.' 'You have brought laws for a sensitive state in an unsensitive manner and the administration is run through people brought from outside the state. The local people have no participation there,' he said. He, however, praised the Lt Governor of J-K, saying he has worked there in a very difficult situation.

He also said the delimitation commission has worked in a one-sided manner in the state. Singh also wanted to know the reason for the house arrest of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, as she claimed during the day.

Replying promptly to this, Home Minister Amit Shah said no one is under house arrest there. 'The LG has already clarified in the morning on this. She can go anywhere she wants. We would provide security also.' Singh made some remarks over the home minister in response, leading to an uproar from the treasury benches. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal raised and said it was wrong allegations.

Immediately afterwards, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar directed Singh's remarks be expunged, saying there was personal observation and prejudicial.

Participating in the debate, John Brittas CPI (M) sarcastically suggested forming a ministry for Jawaharlal Nehru.

On this Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there is 'wonderful irony' that in 1959 the Communist government headed by EMS Namboodripad was removed by Nehru and they do not mind being hand in glove.

Replying to this, Brittas said, 'That is why they (Congress) have been punished and sitting here. If there been no verdict in SR Bombai case, they would have dismissed most of the governments.'

Radha Mohan Das Agrawal of the BJP said after the abrogation of article 370, the number of terror incidents has reduced to 41 in 2023 so far in comparison of 228 in 2018, similarly encounters have reduced from 189 to 44.

Agrawal said the government has committed two AIIMS in the state and a total of seven medical colleges. It has spent over Rs 58,478 crore on development, he said.

Seema Dwivedi and Ramchandra Jangra of BJP also participated in the discussion.

V Sivaadasan CPI (M) alleged violation of human rights. Political leaders and human rights activists are unable to raise voices there, he said.