NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill to provide reservation to Other Backward Classes in local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, with the government asserting that important changes have taken place in the Union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Replying to a brief debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Local Bodies Laws (Amendment) Bill-2024, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that the people of the state have started enjoying the fruits of development ushered in by the government. The bill seeks to provide reservation to OBCs in panchayats and municipalities in J&K and bring consistency in the local body laws of the Union territory with the provisions of the Constitution.
“Justice will be ensured to the citizens of Other Backward Classes of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time after 75 years of Independence,” according to the statement of objects and reasons of the bill.
Rai said that he made no reference to the opposition demand for the government to spell out a time frame for holding of elections in J&K and the restoration of statehood.
Rai said that the opposition members were resorting to a drama of supporting the bill granting reservation to OBCs and were raising other issues.
Earlier, Opposition members urged the government to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.
Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference (NC) demanded that the polls in the Union territory be held soon. He said that the Centre should have decided on the polls before the Supreme Court had to intervene in the matter.
Minister of State for Home Ajay Misra intervened to point out that local bodies’ elections were held in the erstwhile state. Participating in the debate, TMC leader Saugata Roy also referred to the SC observation and pitched for early assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.