Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the deployment of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir was a precautionary measure to prevent the security situation from worsening and stated that the forces would not be removed under any "pressure".
Replying to a debate on scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir relevant draft laws, Shah hit out at Congress, saying due to vote bank politics, the opposition party was not able to show courage to support the abrogation of the constitutional provision.
"This is nothing. There was a situation in Kashmir between 1989 and 1995 when terrorism was at its peak and curfew was being imposed for years. Leave the phone, people were not able to get bread and butter," he said, responding to a query by NCP's Supriya Sule, who questioned the deployment of excessive security forces in the state.
Shah said the curfew wasn't put in place because the law and order situation deteriorated.
"It is precautionary so that no one could get the opportunity to succeed in deteriorating the security situation in the state by misguiding the people. There is no other reason. There is no such situation," he said.
Shah asked how anyone can stop the government from taking security measures.
"It seems from the tone of some of the members that we would remove the security forces coming under pressure so that they could carry out some incidents...we are not going to do that...we will not come under any pressure nor we will remove the security forces," he said.
Shah said that Article 370 does not integrate Jammu and Kashmir with India as claimed; instead, it keeps the state apart from India.
"From today onwards this hurdle (Article) 370 would be removed forever," he said.
Shah also said that statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be given when the time is ripe.
"This is not a permanent provision. I want to make it clear that as soon the situation improves the government would have no objections in giving the full statehood status at the appropriate time," he said.
Responding to members' concern over Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, the BJP chief said that India's claim was as strong as it was in the past.
"Still we have the 24 seats (Assembly) reserved for PoK. Our claim is as strong as it was in the past," he said, blaming former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
( With inputs from ANI )