Parliament: Amit Shah tables 2 J&K bills in Rajya Sabha
What's the story
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday tabled two bills for amending J&K reservation and reorganization laws in the Rajya Sabha.
The J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, have already been cleared by the Lok Sabha.
They proposed reservations in state government posts and education and reservation of seats for Kashmir Pandits in the J&K Legislative Assembly, respectively.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The proposed bills seek reservations for the "underprivileged" and Kashmiri Pandit migrants.
Last week, while responding to the debate over the aforementioned bills, Shah said they would provide representation to those who left the Kashmir Valley because of terrorism.
Notably, the J&K National Conference (JKNC) has previously opposed the legislation, claiming the matter of J&K's recognition had already been challenged in the Supreme Court.
BJP
AAP MP demands elections in J&K
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s MP Sasmit Patra spoke on the J&K bills and supported the government on the proposed legislation in the Rajya Sabha.
In his speech, he congratulated the government on the SC's verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370.
Separately, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjeev Arora demanded elections in the union territory of J&K during the debate in the House.
Information
Who all spoke on J&K Bills in Upper House
Other leaders who spoke on the bills included Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Tiruchi Siva and M Mohamed Abdullah, Trinamool Congress's Mohammad Nadimul Haque, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, and Congress's MP Vivek Tankha. Meanwhile, Shah countered some of the claims by Haque about the bills and J&K.
About
About J&K Reservation (Amendment) Bill 2023
The bill amends the J&K Reservation Act 2004, which provides for reservation in jobs and admission to professional institutions for SC, ST, and other backward classes.
Through the proposed legislation, the government seeks to eliminate the term "weak and underprivileged classes."
The bill substitutes "weak and underprivileged classes" with "other backward classes," as declared by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
Details
Proposed amendments in J&K Reorganisation Act 2019
The proposed amendment bill seeks to increase the number of seats in the J&K Legislative Assembly from 83 to 90.
It also proposes reserving seven seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and nine for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The bill also seeks to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrant community (Kashmiri Pandits) as members of the legislative assembly of the UT.