Reclaiming PoK Centre’s agenda, says Javadekar

Indore: Including Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (POK) in India is Central government’s agenda but for now, assembly seats falling in POK will be kept vacant in Jammu & Kashmir assembly, said Union minister for information and broadcasting and environment, forest and climate change Prakash Javadekar on Monday.

“POK is an integral part of India and taking possession of it is our agenda. A resolution in this regard was unanimously passed in parliament in 1994,” Javdekar told reporters.

For now, assembly seats of POK will be kept vacant in Jammu & Kashmir Vidhan Sabha. These (POK’s assembly seats) will be kept separate (till POK is included in India),” he added. On reports of media being banned and controlled in Jammu & Kashmir, Javadekar said, "The media and opposition are always free to criticize government. It is the people, who are against the nation whom we are against. I have seen very closely how the media was curtailed during emergency. During our rule the media will always be free." The minister disagreed on drop in rank of India in World Press Freedom Index 2019 and said, "I do not agree with the analysis in the report. I am ready to discuss it on panel. I think the freedom, which media enjoys in India is unavailable in other countries."

India had dropped two places to be ranked 140 out of 180 countries in annual Reporters without Borders analysis released in April earlier this year.

Javadekar, who also visited Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Mandir on Monday, utilized the opportunity to tell how fate of two major political parties – BJP and Congress has changed in last 75 days.

“Around 75 days of Modi’s second term have been completed and in this duration, we have seen tale of two (political) parties,” said Javadekar, adding that while BJP-led Central government, which received a clear mandate and working to live up to the expectations, has taken over 75 decisions for the people of India to pick the required pace of development. “When the BJP president (Amit Shah) took over as the home minister, the party immediately appointed JP Nadda as working president and he is visiting different parts of the country,” said Javadekar, adding that on the other hand, Congress functioned without a president for around 75 days.

“The party has also failed to keep its words of appointing the new president, who would not be from Gandhi’s family,” said senior BJP leader.


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