Parliament Winter Session: J&K Reservation Bill, J&K Reorganisation Bill moved in Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha on Tuesday discussed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

While speaking in the House, Union minister Anurag Thakur says, "...Earlier there were stone pelting incidents in Kashmir. Today there are no such incidents. Today, not only at Lal Chowk but the Indian flag is hoisted in every lane in Kashmir..."
The House also witnessed a heated debate between Home Minister Amit Shah and TMC MP Sugata Roy over the Bills.

"How can a country have two PMs, two constitutions and two flags? Those who did this, they did wrong. PM Modi corrected it. We have been saying since 1950 that there should be 'Ek Pradhan, Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan' (One Prime Minister, one flag and one Constitution) in the country, and we did it,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said. He was speaking on remarks made by TMC MP Saugata Roy on the J&K bills.

When asked about the Centre's reservation bill for Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged that all such exercises are "illegal".
"All of this is illegal because the revocation of Article 370 (of the Constitution) was done in an illegal manner and the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court. When something is sub-judice, how can they make a law on it? This is illegal, they are trampling the Constitution, Parliament and the Supreme Court. They are trampling every institution of the country," Mufti was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 provides for the reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Bill increases the total number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from 83 to 90. It also reserves seven seats for Scheduled Castes and nine seats for Scheduled Tribes.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act provides for reservation in appointment in state government posts, and admission to professional institutions, for certain reserved categories. The Bill provides for reservation in professional institutions for economically weaker sections.