NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha has passed the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday with 125 members supporting it while 61 oppose. However, the move to take away the special status of the state has received criticism from various corners despite Home Minister Amit Shah's promise that the Union Territory status will be temporary in nature.

According to Amit Shah, the Jammu Kashmir will be given the status of a full-fledged state once it becomes free of the prevailing tensions. At present, the state has been divided into two Union Territories named Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh. He said that while Jammu Kashmir will have a legislative assembly, Ladakh will remain as a Union Territory without an assembly.

It is believed that keeping Ladakh as a Union Territory is part of India's defence strategy keeping China in mind. It must be noted that China has attempted to infiltrate through Ladakh several times as it is an area which remains isolated for over 6 months a year due to extreme cold conditions. As per the latest census, the area has a population of 2.74 lakhs. The important regions such as Leh and Kargil comes under Ladakh. The Pangong lake which lies in Ladakh has 45% of it in India and the rest in China.