'Naya Kashmir' Bills will give justice to those deprived of rights for last 70 years, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that ‘Naya Kashmir Bills’ – the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill – will help and uplift those who were deprived of their rights for 70 years.

#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks on The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 & The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2023

Says, “The Bill that I have brought here pertains to bringing justice to and providing rights to those against whom… pic.twitter.com/DAl8zIv7Zi

— ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2023

Replying to a debate on the two J&K Bills, Shah said, “The Bill that I have brought here pertains to bringing justice to and providing rights to those against whom injustice was done, who were insulted and those who were ignored. In any society, those who are deprived should be brought forward. That is the basic sense of the Constitution of India.”

He said that those who are deprive have to be brought forward but in a dignified way.

“There is a huge difference between giving rights and giving rights respectfully. So, instead of weak and deprived category renaming it to Other Backward Class is important,” he said.

He said a few people raised apprehensions about the name change saying that it was just for optics but we need to ensure that respect is attached to the name.

“A few people also tried to underestimate it…someone said that only the name is being changed. I would like to tell all of them that if we have even a little sympathy then we need to see that respect is attached to the name. This can be seen by only those who want to bring them forward considering them like their brothers. Those who use it as vote bank for their own political benefit… Narendra Modi is a leader who was born into a poor family and became the Prime Minister of the country today. He knows the pain of the poor…,” said Shah.

Talking about the Kashmiri Pandits, Shah said had terrorism been tackled at the beginning without considering vote-bank politics, they would not have had to leave Kashmir Valley.

“When they (Kashmiri Pandits) were displaced, they were forced lived as refugees in their country. Around 46,631 families were displaced in their own country. This Bill is to get them rights, this Bill is to give them representation,” said Shah.

Referring to the era of terrorism in J&K after the 1980s, he said those who lived in the state considering their country were thrown out.

VIDEO | “There was an era of terrorism (in Jammu and Kashmir) after the 1980s and it was a horrifying scene. Those who lived on the land considering it their country, were thrown out and no one cared about them, neither did they try to stop it. In fact, those were responsible to… pic.twitter.com/UKSE1hn94p

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 6, 2023

“There was an era of terrorism (in Jammu and Kashmir) after the 1980s and it was a horrifying scene. Those who lived on the land considering it their country, were thrown out and no one cared about them, neither did they try to stop it. In fact, those who were responsible to stop it, they were enjoying vacations in England,” said the Home Minister.

He said a total of 41,844 families were displaced during three wars of 1947, 1965 and 1969 with Pakistan and this Bill is an attempt to them give them their rights.