“You Have Made Our Lives Hell”: Mehbooba Slams Centre Over Decision To Amend Rules Of J&K Reorganisation Act

SRINAGAR: Targeting the Centre over its decision to amend the rules of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, PDP chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday that the government has snatched everything and made the lives of the people living in the Valley “hell.”

In a self-made video, Mufti said, “Today you have brought such an ordinance by which you have snatched everything from the most powerful assembly of Jammu and Kashmir in the entire country.

Today, you want to convert it into a municipality. If any government is formed in J&K tomorrow, it will not be formed by BJP at all, then that government will not have any authority, will not be able to transfer any of its employees, against whom to take action, you want to snatch that right from them and give it to the Chief Secretary and LG. That LG who comes from outside, who does not know anything about this place.”

“If you do not trust the people here, then why have you kept them here? You people have made our lives here in this Kashmir hell,” she added.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said that the Centre’s move would render the new Chief Minister “powerless” and indicates that the polls would be held soon in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Another indicator that elections are around the corner in J&K. This is why a firm commitment to laying out the timeline for the restoration of full, undiluted statehood for J&K is a prerequisite for these elections. The people of J&K deserve better than a powerless, rubber stamp CM who will have to beg the LG to get his/her peon appointed,” Omar Abdullah posted on X.

President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval to the amendments in the rule exercising the powers conferred by section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, (34 of 2019) read with the Proclamation dated 31st October 2019 issued under section 73 of the Act, a notification issued by the MHA mentions.

The amendments shall come into force on July 12, the date of the publication in the Official Gazette– a move in anticipation of the speculated assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Government sources on Saturday clarified that only the Transaction of Business Rules have been amended in the Jammu Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019.

Sources further said that “Nothing new has been provided in these rules, it is already mentioned in the State Reorganization Act of 2019. The current amendment to rules is just clarificatory in nature flowing from the existing provisions of SRA 2019.”

It is pertinent to mention that the principal rules were published in the Gazette of India dated August 27, 2020, and subsequently amended on February 28, 2024. (ANI)