Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah on Monday denounced the Centre’s move to rework the domicile laws in the union territory of at a time when the nation is pooling all resources to stave off the coronavirus pandemic.
He called the law “hollow” and said it does not offer the protections that it had promised.
According to the change in laws, anyone who has resided for 15 years in Jammu and Kashmir or has studied for seven years and appeared in Class 10 and Class 12 examinations in an educational institution located in the union territory is a domicile. Also, those registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) will also be deemed to be a domicile.
“Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised,” tweeted the former chief minister.
Abdullah said that the recently formed ‘Apni Party’, which he alleged was formed with the blessings of the Delhi, was critical of the changes in the law.
“You can imagine how hollow the domicile law is from the fact that even the new party created with Delhi’s blessings, whose leaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the #JKdomicilelaw,” said the NC leader in another tweet.
