Non-BJP Parties Hail Jammu And Kashmir (Reorganisation) Bill Introduced In Parliament By Home Minister Amit Shah

The Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Bill introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been supported by several political parties, though some opposition parties like the Congress and the DMK gave adjournment notices demanding answers from the government.

Amit Shah explained that since there is no Jammu and Kashmir assembly as of today after the government's move to make it a Union Territory, all powers of the J&K assembly reside in the two houses of Parliament.

Therefore, Article 370 can be repealed with the concurrence of a simple majority of both houses of Parliament and not a two-thirds majority.

Meanwhile, the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar extended support to the Bill stating that it would relieve the people of Jammu and Kashmir from all tensions they've borne for more than six decades.

He stated that by implementing this provision, the people of Jammu and Kashmir would be provided equal opportunities like those granted to other people in the country.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal tweeted his support for the Bill and stated that his party supports the BJP government for its decisions on J&K, expressing hopes that this would bring peace as well as development in the state.

The Bodoland People's Front MP Biswajit Daimary extended his party's support to the Bill, as well as congratulated Amit Shah and Prime Minister to take a bold decision to make Jammu and Kashmir a Union Territory.

The YSR Congress’s Vijaysai Reddy stated that his party wholeheartedly supported the Bill. He stated that leaders have been fighting since 1947 with the hope of unifying India and that he is happy that the Home Minister has fulfilled this.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) extended its support to the Bill stating that Muslims from J&K may go to other parts of India and buy property there, but the minority communities from across India could not do the same. He stated that this is why his party chose to support the Bill.

The Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut stated that his party supported the Bill and claimed that with the scrapping of Article 370, the country had got rid of “a devil”.

The AIADMK's Navaneethakrishnan also expressed his party's support to the Bill.