March 14, 2022
Saugata Roy Supplementary Demands for Grants for Jammu & Kashmir
Sir, I rise to speak on the Budget of Jammu and Kashmir. The expenditure is roughly about Rs.1,12,000 crore of which capital expenditure is Rs.41,000 crore and the revenue expenditure is Rs.71,615 crore. This is a Budget for bureaucratic expenditure. As you know, the expenditure is mainly on Home Department and Police on which Rs.90,588 crore are being spent. Let me first start by saying that I opposed the abrogation of Article 370 and I
am still opposed to it. It was a wrong step for which the country will have to pay in future. I think that apart from fulfilling BJP’s agenda, it has no other meaning. The Finance Minister had mentioned in her speech that the concept of One Nation, One Constitution, One Flag has been adopted. This was the concept of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. ‘एक तनशान, एक तवधान’। He was a good man, died unfortunately in Jammu and Kashmir. His slogan is being implemented by his successors, presently, by Shrimati Nirmala Sitharaman. You have read the Budget. What is the meaning of this Budget being read in Parliament? Why could not the Jammu and Kashmir’s elected Finance Minister
present this Budget? What is there in this Budget that the elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir could not speak on? This is deprivation of the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir to have their own Government. I am totally opposing this undemocratic step. Sir, one gentleman called Mr. Kakru has written in Kashmir Times about the situation today in Jammu and Kashmir. The per capita income in Jammu and Kashmir is recorded less than average in India; the literacy rate is recorded below the average in India; the unemployment among educated persons is recorded as 22 per cent against the average of 7 per cent in India; the electricity available to public for
domestic purposes is dismal. यह मेरा नहीं ह।ै This is written in Kashmir Times on 2.3.2022; it is written by a Kashmiri. … (Interruptions) आपको िो प्रोफेशनल … कापोस्ट तमलाहै।हम लोग ऑतफतशयली देदेंगे। Sir, I want to ask this. What is the Finance Minister seeking to achieve through this Budget? Now, let me also say that this Budget is basically a revenue budget; only 37 per cent is capital outlay, 63 per cent is revenue expenditure, that is salary
expenditure, establishment expenditure, and other similar expenditure. With this, the situation of Jammu and Kashmir will not change कापोस्ट तमलाहै।हम लोग ऑतफतशयली देदेंगे। Sir, I want to ask this. What is the Finance Minister seeking to achieve through this Budget? Now, let me also say that this Budget is basically a revenue budget;
only 37 per cent is capital outlay, 63 per cent is revenue expenditure, that is salary expenditure, establishment expenditure, and other similar expenditure. With this, the situation of Jammu and Kashmir will not change Sir, one Opposition Party in Jammu and Kashmir has said that this Budget does not address the rising unemployment
and unprecedented prices of all essential items of regular use. … (Interruptions) Have I said anything wrong? Sir, one Opposition Party in Jammu and Kashmir has said that this Budget does not address the rising unemployment
and unprecedented prices of all essential items of regular use. … (Interruptions) Have I said anything wrong? No, I am not yielding. No Sir. Let him speak after me Sir, he is a professional … put up by the BJP to disturb anybody who speaks against them. टैगोर की एक पोएम है- “Joy Kore Tabu Bhoy Tor Jaay Na” Sir, on any single point of criticism, the
BJP is on a roll. They think that any single criticism must be opposed. That is why they receive kudos from Mr. Modi — “Yeah, Well done, boys.” All this is an effort to attract his attention. About Jammu and Kashmir, let me remind
you of Shri Sheikh Abdullah. He formed the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference in 1931. One of the main jobs of Shri Sheikh Abdullah was to lead the movement for land reforms in Jammu and Kashmir. He was such a
nationalist that later he converted Jammu and Kashmir Conference to National Conference; and I pay my tributes to Shri Sheikh Abdullah who always remained in the national mainstream. The country did not treat him well but he never deviated from the path of nationalism. Now, what is the problem from outside? We go as tourists to Jammu and Kashmir; we take a Shikara ride on Dal Lake; we go to Pahalgam; we go to Gulmarg; and we go up the skiing slopes of Gulmarg. But the people of Jammu and Kashmir remain poor. It is because there is not so much scope for
employment. Land is limited. Even after land reforms people have not received land. The other thing is handicrafts. That is solely dependent on tourists’ inflow to Jammu and Kashmir. Now, what has the Government successfully done to improve agriculture? Then, comes floriculture, alericulture, pomology, that is, development of food,
vegetables and flowers. Now, how much fillip have these things received? I remember the point Mr. Amit Shah made in this House. The other day, he said: “We will control militancy and we will bring Jammu and Kashmir into
the national mainstream.” Sir, I have also got a copy of the speech of the young Minister, Shri Nityanand Rai. He had given me a reply in the month of December by saying: “I mentioned the death of armed police personnel in J&K. On 13.12.2021, a police bus carrying police personnel was attacked by terrorists; 15 police personnel got injured, among them three died.” He further said: “On 10th December, some terrorists fired upon a police party, Police Station Bandipora. In this incident, two police personnel received injuries.” He again said: “Two terrorists responsible for the incident have been killed.” He said that the Government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance. But you know what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir. I have got a very nice report which says about drop in law and order in Jammu and Kashmir … (Interruptions) I have read from his letter … (Interruptions) Sir, what is happening in J&K is that they have posted three lakh army personnel there. They have deployed huge CRPF, BSF and CISF personnel there. So, incidents have become fewer but what is worrisome is that there is an uptick in militant recruitment. Between January and December, 2020, 225 militants were killed by the security forces. Of them, 207 were killed in 90 gunfights in Kashmir and 18 in 13 gunfights in Jammu region. But there is improvement on counts of terrorist incidents as there are more people joining the militants every day. Why is this happening? It is because there is no functional democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. They say: “We held the Panchayat elections.” But, every other day, Sarpanchs are being killed by terrorists. The Sarpanchs do not come out of their houses. So, the promise made by Shri Amit Shah ji that we improve Jammu and Kashmir significantly has not been redeemed. Sir, I end with saying one thing. I know, Nirmala ji is not the boss in this matter but Amit Shah is. She only brought the Budget but Jammu and Kashmir must have Assembly elections at the earliest. This excuse given that you are doing delimitation is bogus. That is a bogus excuse. You must have elections to the Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir. You must have a proper representative Government in Jammu and Kashmir. You must have a way to keep the young people away from the path of militancy, to give them the offer of participating in the open elections, and also in giving them the jobs. The problems of unemployment and under-development are the biggest problems in Jammu and Kashmir. This Government had significantly failed in providing employment and jobsto the people. They talk of big projects. They say: “We will build a road from Katra to Amritsar. We will build a road via Zojila Pass to Ladakh or we will build road to Pahalgam.” No, that is not enough. Jammu and Kashmir lives in small hamlets. I would like to know whether those hamlets are connected. I want to ask them last of all: What happened to your promise of rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits in the valley? You have not re-established one single Pandit family in the Kashmir valley. This is all tall talk. ‘एक बनशान, एक बवधान, एक प्रधान’ यह बीजेपी का पॉबलबटकल स्लोगन है। यह उसी का बजट है। That is why, I oppose the Budget. Thank you.
