The Rajya Sabha debated the J&K Budget on Tuesday at a time when there is not a single representative from the union territory (UT) forcing many Opposition members to qoute American lawyer James Otis who said “taxation without representation is tyranny”. The Opposition urged the Narendra Modi–led government to ensure that at least the next Budget is debated by the elected representatives of the former State.
Debating ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill, 2022’, the Opposition pointed out that three years after dilution of the Article 370 and the J&K Reorganisation Bill was passed there is no ‘normalcy’ in the former State. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman will reply to the debate on Wednesday.
Congress member Vivek K Tankha initiated the debate. He is a Kashmiri Pandit who was elected from the Upper House from Madhya Pradesh. “People from all parts of the country discuss the Budget. But Jammu and Kashmir people will not participate in the discussion. Besides the four members from Jammu & Kashmir are also not there in the House to discuss the Budget as there is no [legislative] Assembly there,” he said.
