The Centre’s move to table the J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 before the Lok Sabha to pave the way for the reservation of seats for Kashmiri Pandits and migrants from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) on July 25 drew flak from the regional parties in Kashmir.
“J&K, despite being a Muslim majority State, has a history of electing Kashmiri Pandits to the Assembly. The move to reserve seats and grant powers to the Governor to nominate them is another attempt by the BJP to unfairly add up their numbers in J&K. The pre-poll rigging in J&K started with the redrawing of constituencies,” senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former J&K Minister Naeem Akhtar told The Hindu.
Mr. Akhtar said the powers being granted to the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) to nominate members only “indicates a brazen bid by New Delhi to have veto powers in an elected Assembly”.
