A debate on the Jammu and Kashmir budget in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday turned into a slanging match between Congress and BJP on which party had done more while being in power for the welfare of the Kashmiri Pandits who had to flee the border state, now a union territory, in the wake of increasing terrorism.
Congress fielded eminent lawyer and party MP Vivek Tankha, the only Kashmiri Pandit lawmaker in either House, to initiate the debate. He said though the Narendra Modi government has time and again highlighted the abrogation of Article 370 and claimed it has brought a change in the Valley, there has been no foreign direct investment in the state and Kashmiri Pandits have not gone back.
He said if the situation improves in the state, Kashmiri Pandits would be willing to invest and also return to their home state. He lamented that while this budget should have focused on the economic aspects, it is more political.
Tankha maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is lagging behind its target in apple and saffron production while the artisans and skilled workers engaged in making shawls and other items do not have work as this is becoming a “dying art”.
“There is despondency and despair in the state which has unlimited possibilities… You have administration there, not a government… We do not want nationalism without humanism,” Tankha said, adding that the state should have an elected government.
With the Upper House having no say in the money Bill, members from across parties who participated in the debate gave a political speech.
Fauzia Khan (NCP), Rajani Patil (Congress) and others said there should be more allocation for the tourism sector on which thousands of people of Jammu and Kashmir are dependent for their livelihood. The state has a higher unemployment rate than the national average. Government has also failed to meet its target under Prime Minister Gramin Aawas Yojana.
True peace is not just absence of war but the presence of justice, Khan said.
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi mentioned the recently released movie “The Kashmir Files” and said it has unearthed the “buried files” of many parties and people which has led to objections from some quarters.
A 36-member delegation from the Gulf countries is currently on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir to explore possibilities of investment in real estate, power, communication and other sectors, Naqvi said, insisting that this is a sign of the changing scenario there.
The minister said when the Opposition raises a hue and cry about human rights violations in J&K, it should remember about these rights of the army and paramilitary forces as well.
Naqvi said BJP and its predecessor Jan Sangh stood for abrogation of Article 370 with leaders from Shyama Prasad Mookerjee to Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Narendra Modi espousing it. After this decision, Dalits, Gurjars, Bakarwals and other communities have got the benefit of laws dealing with reservations, land rights and other benefits.
“There has been progress and the initiation of the political process as well… Terrorists have been taken out of their rat-holes and dealt with.. While separatists used to raise the flag of a neighbouring country earlier, the tri-colour has been put up at Lal Chowk,” Naqvi said.
The state has also been freed from the “chakravyuh” of dynastic politics, he said.