Ready for elections in J&K whenever Election Commission releases dates: Minister

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, December 5

Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, has said the government is ready for polls in J&K whenever the Election Commission announces it. The Congress should thank PM Modi for having completed the unfinished business of Jawaharlal Nehru who wanted to end the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, he said in the Lok Sabha today while speaking on the debate to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019 which seeks to increase the strength of the legislative Assembly of the Union Territory to 114 from 107. It aims to provide reservation of nine seats for the scheduled tribes.

Cong must thank PM

The Congress should thank Modi for implementing what Nehru had envisaged (scrapping Article 370). It (special status) created barriers for Hindus and also Muslims. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister

Singh said the people who did not permit the Constitution to be implemented in J&K for 70 years were telling the government on the validity of the Constitution.

“They had vested interests in not removing Article 370,” Singh said, adding that Jana Sangh founder Shayma Prasad Mookerjee had asked Nehru on Article 370 to which the latter had replied, “Dheere dheere ghis jayegi ( It will wither away slowly).” Again the matter came up for discussion in the House in 1963. “Nehru as PM said it was time for the Article 370 to go,” said Singh. “The Congress should thank Modi that he implemented what Nehru had envisaged,” said Singh, adding that Article 370 created artificial barriers not just for the Hindu community but also for the Kashmir Muslims. Jitendra Singh termed the delay in J&K signing the instrument of accession as a “Nehruvian blunder”. Nehru thought he understood J&K better than Sardar Patel.

Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J&K, said the National Conference had made the biggest sacrifices. “We have never denied that we are part of this nation. Don’t point fingers at people who have suffered for the nation,” Farooq said and asked, “Why are you not holding an election ?”

“We are ready for it,” said Singh, adding that the EC had its own mechanism of gathering inputs according to its requirements and it would take the final call. Let us all trust the wisdom of the EC and not appear to be interfering in its functioning, he added. Jamyang Tsering Namgyal of the ruling BJP said peace in Jammu and Kashmir is “more important” than elections.