The Opposition on Thursday cited the delay in restoring statehood as the reason for the assassination bid on former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah.
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday witnessed an uproar as the Congress and the National Conference linked the statehood issue to the decline in law and order in Jammu and Kashmir, even as the government called it a politically motivated allegation.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Farooq's security was breached as Jammu and Kashmir's police do not report to the Union Territory's government since statehood was withdrawn in 2019.
"Jammu and Kashmir was a state earlier. The police and security were under the jurisdiction of the state government. Such an incident happened because the security of Jammu and Kashmir is currently in the hands of the Union home minister. Law and order have deteriorated. There are attempts to kill important leaders," Kharge said.
The Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha said the people of Kashmir were not safe under the present arrangement, as the home ministry looks after the security of the Union Territory.
"I want to ask if the government intends to kill Abdullah. If the government wanted to safeguard him, he should have been provided full security. People will be secure if there is a state government. The people of Kashmir are not safe in your hands. You are finishing those people who stand for secularism and socialism and work for national integration," Kharge said.
NC member Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan said Jammu and Kashmir police were not present at the spot when Farooq was attacked. Deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary, who was accompanying Farooq, was injured in the attack.
"Where did the police go? You saw what happened in Pahalgam. The lieutenant governor said he was responsible but nothing happened to improve security. Farooq brought Kashmir to the mainstream in the 1990s. I demand statehood be granted to Jammu and Kashmir and Abdullah's security be upgraded," he said.
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda said the attack on Farooq was a matter of concern. "I want to assure that the matter will be investigated and the accused will be questioned to understand his motive. All necessary steps will be taken for Abdullah's safety," he said.
"To conclude this incident happened because statehood has not been restored in Jammu and Kashmir and to allege that the government intended to kill him, I think, is condemnable," Nadda said.