NEW DELHI: The J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2023, which proposed to raise the number of seats in the assembly from 83 to 90, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Bill seeking to nominate two members from Kashmiri migrants, one representing PoK refugees and one woman to the assembly was introduced in July.
Migrants are those who migrated from the Kashmir Valley or any other part of J&K after November 1, 1989, due to terror. The bill also reserves seven seats for SCs and nine for STs. Another Bill — the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill 2023 — was passed after a six-hour debate.
“Earlier, there were 37 seats in Jammu, now there are 43. Earlier there were 46 in Kashmir, now there are 47 and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), 24 seats have been reserved since PoK is ours,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha.
He blamed India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru for the ‘sufferings’ of people in Kashmir. Shah said Nehru made two blunders — announcing a ceasefire when our forces were winning; and taking the Kashmir issue to the UN.
“There were two blunders during the Nehru reign because of which Kashmir had to suffer. Our Army was winning but as they reached areas in Punjab, a ceasefire was announced and PoK came into being. Had there been no truce, PoK would have been part of Bharat,” he said.