New Delhi: Congress senior leader Rashid Alvi, on Tuesday, slammed the Central Government for introducing amendments to enable Indian citizens outside Jammu and Kashmir to buy land in Union Territory, claiming that the move will "worsen" the situation there.
In the fresh notification, Ministry of Home Affairs has omitted the precondition of "being permanent resident of the State" on the purchase of land in Jammu and Kashmir, as existed under Article 370 for the outsiders.
While speaking to ETV Bharat, Rashid Alvi said, "Bihar Elections are here. Making laws for states while sitting in Delhi, is very easy. Is there a situation of buying land in Kashmir, at a time when you've deployed lakhs of armed forces there, when opposition leaders or even media can't go there? But the Central Government has made this law."
Congress leader Rashid Alvi slams Center's ownership laws of J&K He further added, "It seems like Central Government has some rivalry with Kashmir people. Therefore, they are trying to trouble them more and more. This law will only make the situation worse in Kashmir."
Also read:JK parties slam changes in land laws, say UT has been put up for sale
The notification will be called the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020. It came into force with immediate effect. However, agricultural land can still only be purchased by the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress leader also raised sharp questions over the intention of Central Government behind this move as there are still a number of states where non-residents cannot buy land.
Alvi said, "If anyone can buy land in Jammu and Kashmir then why this law is not being implemented in other parts of the country? Can anyone buy land in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh or even in Himachal Pradesh?"
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and People's Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti have also condemned the Central Government's decision, by calling it "not acceptable".
Reacting over the matter, Omar Abdullah tweeted, "Unacceptable amendments to the land ownership laws of J&K. Even the tokenism of domicile has been done away with when purchasing non-agricultural land and transfer of agricultural land has been made easier. J&K is now up for sale and the poorer small land holding owners will suffer."
In another tweet, he added, "There's much confusion about whether Ladakh has been included in the new land ownership order. I don't know what would be worse: that Ladakh has also been betrayed by the Centre or that only J&K has been put up for sale, thus betraying the centre's true intentions and bias."
While Mufti termed the move as "nefarious designs" of Central Government to "disempower" the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Also read:Explainer: New land laws introduced in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh
She tweeted, "Yet another step that's part of GoI's nefarious designs to disempower and disenfranchise people of J&K. From the unconstitutional scrapping of Article 370 to facilitating loot of our natural resources and finally putting land in J&K up for sale."
"After feeling on all fronts to provide roti and Rojgar to people BJP is creating such laws to whet the appetite of gullible electorate. Such brazen measures reinforce the need of people of all three provinces of J and K to fight unitedly," she stated in her tweet.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury had also reacted sharply over the matter, saying, "This is highway robbery. The loot of J&K's resources and beautiful landscape. Having destroyed all people's democratic structures, will the next step be possible land acquisition to handover the cronies and fatten the purses of ruling party at Centre? This cannot be allowed."
