The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and it seeks to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrant community and one from the displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to the to the legislative assembly.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, which aims to change the nomenclature of a section of individuals who are qualified for quotas in admission and appointment, was also passed by the House.
The bills were passed after more than 6 hours of debate spanning over 2 days and a spirited reply by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The home minister stated that the government’s two Jammu and Kashmir-related bills will give justice to individuals who have been deprived of their rights for the past 70 years and that reservation for displaced people will give them a voice in the legislature.
He said that Jammu and Kashmir has suffered because of two mistakes made by the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who first announced a ceasefire and then took the Kashmir issue to the United Nations. “Had Jawaharlal Nehru taken right steps, PoK would have been part of India now. It was a historic blunder,” he said.