Srinagar: With the Rajya Sabha passing the Collection of Statistical (Amendment) bill that empowers government of India to collect statistical data from Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, both the ruling parties Members of the Upper House did not take part in the discussion as they skipped the proceedings and are busy with preparations for the foundation day of the PDP.
The bill which empowers the government of India to collect statistical data from the state was passed by the Rajya Sabha, even as various Opposition parties, led by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad arguing that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly should have been taken into confidence before getting the bill passed.
PDP MP in Rajya Sabha, Nazir Ahmad Laway, said that he has not attended the ongoing session in the upper house as he was busy with the preparations of the foundation day of the party to be celebrated on 29th July in the state.
“I did not attend the session in Rajya Sabha, so I do not know what has happened and which bill has been passed,” Laway said.
He said that for him foundation day is “important” so he was busy with its preparations.
“For me the foundation day of the party is important as late Mufti Sahab had recommended me for MP in the upper house,” he said.
Laway was the PDP candidate from Kulgam who lost his 2014 Assembly elections against CPIM legislator M Y Tarigami. And then he was nominated by the party for Rajya Sabha MP.
Another MP, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, said that he has not attended the ongoing session.
“I did not attend the session as I am busy in Kupwara from the last few days. So, I don’t know the bill has been passed,” Mir said.
The Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed yesterday in Rajya Sabha was opposed by Opposition Congress, saying the move was not proper in view of Article 370 which grants special status to the state.
Members of a number of Opposition parties urged the government to take the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly into confidence before getting The Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed.
When the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, Azad cautioned the Government not to pass the bill in Parliament looking at the special status and sensitive conditions in J&K, “still since the Govt has preferred to pass the bill, it should be fully responsible for its consequences”.
“The Collection of Statistics Act was passed in 2008 and it was not extended to J&K due to Article 370 of the Constitution. J&K Assembly has to extend it to the state. The J&K has passed its own Jammu and Kashmir Collection of Statistics Act, 2010 but only for state subjects,” he added.
“Today an amendment to the 2008 Act has been passed by the Rajya Sabha to extend it to J&K. As a practice, J&K Assembly should have been asked to pass the bill instead of Parliament passing it,” Azad said.
