New Delhi :
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday moved a resolution in the Lok Sabha to extend President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir by six more months, even as the Opposition questioned the delay in holding the Assembly elections in the state. Citing law and order reasons, Amit Shah said that the Election Commisison had agreed to postpone the elections.
The main Opposition party Congress opposed the extention of the President's rule, which in effective in the state since November last year. Congress MP Manish Tewari said that it was not in the interest of the country not having an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.
"It was not in the interest of the country not having an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. It is very important to have an elected government in the state to fight the terrorism," Tewari said.
Refering to Amit Shah's remark that the situation was under control in the state and no incidents of violence were reported during the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress MP asked why Assembly elections were not held simultaneously if there was no violence during the national elections.
Tewari said that the Congress party had handed over a progressive state to succeeding governments in Jammu and Kashmir and "ideologiocally incompatible" alliance government of the BJP and the PDP was responsible for the current situation.
"Alliance of ideologiocally incompatible parties (BJP and PDP) responsible for the state of affairs in Jammu & Kashmir, where President's Rule is being sought so frequently," he said.
The state was under the Governor's rule till November after the collapse of the BJP-PDP government in June last year. When the six-month Governnor's rule ended in the Kashmir, the Opposition parties had demanded to hold Assembly elections in the state. However, the Narendra Modi govenrment imposed President's rule in the state, citing unfavourable situation for holding the elections.
Speaking while moving the resolution, the home minister informed the lower house that preparations were underway to hold the Legislative Assembly elections in Kashmir by the end of 2019 after the Amarnath Yatra.
