Rajya Sabha Approves Extension Of President's Rule In Jammu And Kashmir After Home Minister Amit Shah Moves Bill

The Rajya Sabha on Monday approved the statutory resolution to extend President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir for a further period of 6 months, with effect from 3rd July 2019.

Home Minister Amit Shah had moved the Bill in the Rajya Sabha calling for the extension of President’s rule in the state. The upper house of parliament also passed the bill amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004.

The Lok Sabha had on Friday passed both bills.

Shah also rubbished Congress' allegations that the BJP government at the Centre wanted to extend President's rule in the state so as to continue running it from behind closed doors.

He said it was due to the "security concerns" that elections couldn't be held in the Valley alongside Lok Sabha polls, adding the polls will take place as soon as the "Election Commission" gives an approval. 

Responding to senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's speech in the Rajya Sabha, Shah said, "Azad Sahab, we don't prefer ruling through president's rule in Jammu and Kashmir as you said. With God's grace and Modi Ji's popularity we have enough state governments, 16 in total."

Shah once again stressed that the Modi government had a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and it was committed to the development of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Our approach is clear, those who talk of breaking India, we will respond to them in the same language," he said, adding the BJP had quit the ruling coalition with PDP in the state after realising that "separatism was being encouraged".

The home minister said Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that solution of Kashmir's problem should be in "Jamuriyat, Kashmiriyat,  and Insaniyat".

"So, I reiterate today that Modi-led government is also working on Atal Ji's path of "Jamuriyat, Kashmiriyat,  and Insaniyat," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)