‘J&K Seats to be Reserved For STs,’ Says Ram Madhav; Assures Full Statehood to Valley After Situation Normalises

He added that delimitation of seats in the Assembly here will be done again.

New Delhi: Appealing to the people of Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370, BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav R Madhav said on Friday that seats will be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, including Gujjars and Bakarwals, in the new Assembly.

“All the benefits which are being enjoyed by Scheduled Tribes elsewhere in the country will now be available to you also in Jammu and Kashmir,” Indian Express reported Madhav as saying.

He added that delimitation of seats in the Assembly here will be done again. “There will be 114 seats here – 24 out of them are for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), they will stay vacant. Remaining 90 seats will be for the rest of Jammu And Kashmir,” he stated.

Further, Ram Madhav said that a Bill has been formed, under which laws will be formulated by October end.

He also said that the Valley will be granted a full statehood after the situation normalises. “After Oct 31 J&K will stay a Union Territory with the legislature for sometime and like the Home Minister clarified in Parliament, as situation normalises it’ll be granted full statehood.”

Madhav said that Kashmiri Pandits, West Pakistan refugees along with other groups who are “devoid of basic human rights” in the Valley, will be given back their rights. “We know about Kashmiri Pandits – forced to live as refugees in their own country. Rearrangement of their rights will be done. West Pakistan refugees are also here, their rights will also be given back to them.”