‘Govt ready to hold Assembly polls in J&K; EC to decide’

NEW DELHI: The government is ready to hold Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir whenever the Election Commission (EC) takes a final decision in the matter, Union minister Jitendra Singh said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Intervening in the discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) said “whenever the EC announces it (Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir), we are ready”.

He said this in response to a demand from Opposition parties for holding early Assembly polls in the Union Territory. He further said democracy must reach the grass-root level and in the future, “we will do” what is in the best interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He further said the Congress should be grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution that provided a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh said a series of measures have been taken to ensure development in the Union Territory.

Congress leader Manish Tewari asked about the

election and when statehood would be restored in Jammu and Kashmir.