Lok Sabha passes J&K Reorganisation Bill with 370 votes for and 70 against it

Jammu and Kashmir will soon be two separate UTs - Jammu and Kashmir with legislature and Ladakh without legislature.

ANI Photo

A day after the Rajya Sabha passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, Lok Sabha gave its massive nod to it and paved the way for the state to be bifurcated into two separate Union Territories.

Home Minister Amit Shah was in the spotlight once again as he tabled the bill and made an earnest appeal in its favour and in favour of abrogation of Article 370.

With the abrogation of Article 370, the special status for Jammu and Kashmir will be done away with, ensuring complete integration of the region into India. Jammu and Kashmir will not have a separate flag and all Indian citizens will be allowed to buy or sell property in the region. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill will now go the President for his signature.

With Lok Sabha voting in favour of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill - 370 votes for vs 70 votes against, the state of Jammu and Kashmir too will now become two separate Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir with legislature and Ladakh without legislature.

PM Narendra Modi hailed the developments and said that people in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will usher in a new dawn and have been freed from shackles.

Here are the highlights from Parliament:

06 August 2019

20:42 IST

J&K free from shackles now: PM Modi (Full report here)

20:10 IST

Congress Working Committee meeting underway at AICC headquarters in Delhi.

19:47 IST

UAE extends support to India's decision on Jammu and Kashmir.

UAE's ambassador to India says his country hopes the developments will bring peace and prosperity to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

19:45 IST

Lok Sabha adjourned sine die.

19:25 IST

India now gets two more UTs, has 28 states. (Full report here)

19:13 IST

Lok Sabha passes J&K Reorganisation Bill with 370 votes in favour and only 70 votes against it.

#LokSabha passes #JammuandKashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 with 370 votes in favour and 70 against#RajyaSabha had passed the bill yesterday#Article370 pic.twitter.com/8DcuyWRonF

— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 6, 2019

19:02 IST

Resolution revoking Article 370 from J&K gets 351 votes in favour and 72 votes against.

19:00 IST

The process for voting on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill begins in Lok Sabha.

18:58 IST

Senior Congress leader and deputy MP CM Jyotiraditya Scindia says he supports the move on Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

I support the move on #JammuAndKashmir & #Ladakh and its full integration into union of India.

Would have been better if constitutional process had been followed. No questions could have been raised then. Nevertheless, this is in our country’s interest and I support this.

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) August 6, 2019

18:51 IST

Amit Shah defends against accusations of human rights' violation. "Were the rights of Kashmiri people who were forced to leave Jammu and Kashmir not violated?" he says.

18:44 IST

Amit Shah on curfew:

"The curfew wasn't put in place because the law and order situation has deteriorated. It is precautionary, it has been put in place so the situation doesn't deteriorate."

18:11 IST

Amit Shah says in Lok Sabha that he is ready to discuss all concerns of people in Jammu and Kashmir. "There is a time and a place for discussions. I am always ready for discussions. We have only love for the people of J&K," he says. "Article 370 was used by Pakistan to fuel separatism. Those who take inspiration from Pakistan, should we talk with them?"

18:05 IST

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister and BJP MP Prahlad Joshi asks for time of Lok Sabha to be extended till the Bill is completed.

17:39 IST

Union Law Minister RS Prasad hails decision to revoke Article 370.

"If we cannot raise the national flag in Jammu and Kashmir due to Article 370, we don't need Article 370," he says in Lok Sabha. "There is a gleam on the face of people in Jammu and Kashmir with the removal of Article 370, only those who supported terror are now upset."

RS Prasad also mentions martyred soldiers, including Aurangzeb, and says that those who want Article 370 were never there to support the families who lost their previous ones.

17:34 IST

Indian High Commission in Islamabad asks for an increase in security. (Full report here)

17:18 IST

PM Modi praises BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering for his speech in Lok Sabha today:

My young friend, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal who is @MPLadakh delivered an outstanding speech in the Lok Sabha while discussing key bills on J&K. He coherently presents the aspirations of our sisters and brothers from Ladakh. It is a must hear! https://t.co/XN8dGcTwx6

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2019

16:58 IST

Imran Khan addresses Pakistan parliament:

* India has no interest in talks with Pakistan.

* What India did yesterday was not a sudden move. It was a planned move.

* This Indian government's ideology is the ideology of RSS. Their founders had the ideology that they will remove Muslims from India after independence.

* They want Hindus to be in a position of dominance. 

16:36 IST

Amit Shah once again assures Lok Sabha about Farooq Abdullah.

"I'm saying it for the 4th time and I have the patience to say it for the 10th time - Farooq Abdullah has neither been detained nor arrested. If he isn't well, doctors will take him to the hospital. If he wasn't well, he would not have come out."

16:20 IST

Amit Shah on reports Farooq Abdullah has been arrested:

* I have made it clear thrice. Farooq Abdullah ji is at his home, he is not under house arrest, he is not under detention.

* He is good health. If he does not want to come out of his house then we can't put a gun on his head and make him.

 Farooq Abdullah had said a short while back that the Home Ministry is lying that he is not under house arrest. "They are saying I am staying inside my house on my own will. They want to murder us. My son (Omar Abdullah) is in jail."

16:06 IST

A furious Farooq Abdullah speaks to members of the press:

* Decision to revoke Article 370 against democratic principles
* Did not expect Home Minister of the country to lie
* We will take the legal route against the decision on Article 370

15:54 IST

Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal hails the Union Government's decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and create Ladakh as a Union Territory. Namgyal says development and identity of Ladakh has suffered because of Article 370 and Congress. (Also Read: Time for Ladakh come out of shadows and shine bright, says BJP MP Jamyang Tsering)

15:25 IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again hit out at the Narendra Modi-led governement by descrbing the arrest of Kashmir's mainstream political leaders as "unconstitutional and undemocratic"."Kashmir’s mainstream political leaders have been jailed at secret locations. This is unconstitutional & undemocratic. It’s also short sighted and foolish because it will allow terrorists to fill the leadership vaccum created by GOI. The imprisoned leaders must be released," he tweeted. 

15:13 IST

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav seeks explaination from the Centre regarding the status of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). "We are with the country on revoking Article 370. But now my question is about the status of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Government should answer this," he says in the Lok Sabha. 

15:03 IST

"I sit on seat 462, Farooq Abdullah sits on seat 461. He's elected from J&K, we can't hear him today.This debate will be incomplete if you ask me," Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule says in Lok Sabha. Replying to her, Home Minister Amit Shah said that Farooq Abdullah has neither been detained nor arrested. Shah added that Abdullah is at his home and out of his own free will. 

14:49 IST

Congress leader and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is miffed with party MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for his statements that Kashmir is not India’s internal matter since it has been under monitoring mechanism of the United Nations since 1948. Chaudhary had also sought an explanation from the Narendra Modi-led government as to how the issue is an internal matter of India during the debate in the Lok Sabha on the resolution to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

14:44 IST

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Girish Chandra and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP Nama Nageswara Rao support the Bill to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. 

14:38 IST

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhry claims Kashmir is not India’s internal matter since it has been under monitoring mechanism of the United Nations since 1948. "Since 1948, Kashmir has been under monitoring mechanism of the United Nations. So, in the wake of bifurcation of J&K state, what should be the stand & status of our country?" he questions. 

14:24 IST

Janata Dal (United) walked out of Lok Sabha over Jammu and Kashmir Re-organisation Bill.

14:20 IST

Congress' Jammu and Kashmir policy planning group will meet in the national capital at Manmohan Singh's residence today.

Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir policy planning group of Congress party to meet today. pic.twitter.com/J8T6EuDV4p

— ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2019

14:11 IST

Congress is speaking in the same language as Pakistan, says Pralhad Joshi.

14:10 IST

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi says the government was expecting that the Congress would support the bill, but “unfortunately it did not happen”.

14:06 IST

Sonia Gandhi miffed with Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for his statements on Jammu and Kashmir, sources told Zee News. The former Congress chief lauded Manish Tewari for his speech on the issue in Lok Sabha.

13:26 IST

Mamata Banerjee says she does not agree with the method in which Article 370 is being scrapped. "I cannot support or go against the Bill...it's not Constitutionally legal," says the Trinamool Congress chief. Demanding the release of politicians in Kashmir, she further said, "There is no information abour Farooq Abdullah. Mehbooba and Omar Abdullah have also been arrested. They cannot be isolated. They are not terrorists, they must be released."

13:24 IST

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says the government should have sought the opinion of people of Jammu and Kashmir before abrogating Article 370. She also questioned the detention of political leaders in Kashmir.

13:03 IST

Rahul Gandhi says "National integration isn’t furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution". READ FULL STORY

13:02 IST

Jitendra Singh of the BJP says Article 370 was the "greatest historic blunder" for Jawaharlal Nehru is responsible. "Every BJP MP is honoured to be part of History today," he added.

12:39 IST

Rahul Gandhi tweets: "National integration isn’t furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution. This nation is made by its people, not plots of land. This abuse of executive power has grave implications for our national security".

National integration isn’t furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution. This nation is made by its people, not plots of land.

This abuse of executive power has grave implications for our national security.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 6, 2019

12:33 IST

An alert has been issued by Gwalior Collector, asking the administration to ensure safety and security of Kashmiri students, who study in different colleges in the area.

12:22 IST

"In last 70 years, several times we saw demands that union territories be converted into states but this is probably the first time in history that a state has been converted into union territory. There cannot be a bigger blow to federal structure than this," says Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha.

12:03 IST

Modi government is taking unilateral decision, what's happening is Constitutional crisis, says Congress

12:03 IST

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran raises the issue of arrest of leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. He says a member of this House, Farooq Abdullah, is missing.

11:37 IST

Jawaharlal Nehru made Kashmir an integral part of India, says Congress in Lok Sabha

11:36 IST

Manish Tewari talks about the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

11:36 IST

Congress MP Manish Tewari speaks in Lok Sabha on abrogation of Article 370.

11:35 IST

Let the debate take place in peace, we are being watched by the world, says Amit Shah

11:33 IST

Ask whatever you want to ask, but don't create ruckus, Amit Shah tells Opposition members.

11:26 IST

The Home Minister explains legal and Constitutional aspects of J&K Reorganisation Bill.

11:23 IST

This House has witnessed several historic moments and I can say with pride that this bill is here to create history, says Amit Shah.

11:23 IST

DMK leader TR Balu says "we are in the state of an undeclared emergency".

11:20 IST

We will sacrifice our lives for the fact the PoK is a part of India, says Amit Shah.

11:20 IST

When I speak about Jammu and Kashmir, it includes Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, says Amit Shah.

11:18 IST

Even the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir says that the state is an internal part of Union of India.

11:17 IST

Addressing Lok Sabha, Amit Shah says there is no legal or constitutional dispute on the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country.

11:15 IST

Home Minister Amit Shah asks if Congress is in favour of intervention by United Nations in Kashmir.

11:13 IST

After Amit Shah tables bill in Lok Sabha, Congress questions government's action in Jammu and Kashmir, pointing that leaders are in custody. Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury cites Shimla agreement and Lahore declaration.

10:56 IST

According to top government sources, a ground report on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been sent to the Centre. As per the report, the situation is normal in Jammu and Kashmir.

10:15 IST

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the abrogation of Article 370 will lead to solutions of problems being faced by Jammu and Kashmir. “We used to pass laws that were applicable throughout the country except for in J&K. This also included lawmakers from the state,” he said.

Naqvi said that the leaders who supported separatism and terrorism in the garb of Article 370 are unhappy with the move, adding that “a mistake of 70 years has been rectified in seven hours”.

He also hit out at the Congress party saying while earlier it was headless, now it has turned brainless. According to Naqvi, opposing Article 370 is a suicidal step for the Congress party.

10:07 IST

The debate on Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill is likely to begin in Lok Sabha at 11.15 am.

09:35 IST

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint over the development in Jammu and Kashmir. A statement released by UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric read, “We urge all parties to exercise restraint. UN peacekeepers observing a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in the state of Jammu and Kashmir have observed and reported an increase in military activity along the line of control.”

08:39 IST

The US State Department has said that America is “closely following the events in the state of Jammu and Kashmir”. The US has, however, noted that India “describes these actions as strictly an internal matter”. The statement by US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus further said that the US is “concerned about reports of detentions and urge respect for individual rights and discussion with those in affected communities”. READ FULL STORY

08:24 IST

Parties against Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill: Congress, CPM, Rashtriya Janata Dal, DMK, MDMK, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party. The NCP has decided to abstain.

08:23 IST

Parties supporting J&K Reorganisation Bill in Parliament: AIADMK, Biju Janata Dal, Shiv Sena, Bahujan Samaj Party, YSR Congress Party, Aam Aadmi Party

07:52 IST

Lauding the decision by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government to scrap Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Shiv Sena has said that any praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would not be enough. According to Saamana, the dream of 'Akhand Bharat' has been fulfilled partially. READ FULL STORY

07:32 IST

The decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government to scrap Article 370 has sent shockwaves in the Pakistani establishment. Hours after the announcement was made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament, Islamabad summoned Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria and conveyed a strong demarche. READ FULL STORY