Basantgarh, 10-04-2021: Alleging subversion of democracy and denial of popular govt in J&K, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and former Minister today said that BJP led govt appeared to be averse to the idea of holding Assembly elections in the new set up.
He said that while no initiative had been taken to restore the popular rule in J&K, the govt in the UT seemed to have been outsourced to bureaucrats from outside the state, both retired and in-service. The inclusion of J&K civil services under AGMUT cadre and conduct of UT affairs through Advisors and bureaucrats mostly from other state amply revealed the intentions of the centre which seemed hell-bent to continue its proxy rule in J&K through these outside bureaucrats. He said that with the political process having been rendered defunct in the new UT, political parties discredited and discouraged and opposition parties suppressed, the democracy had been reduced to a farce in J&K. He was addressing public meetings in villages Basantgarh, Punara and Mang during his two days tour of Ramnagar constituency.
Asserting that legitimate, elected govt. alone could represent and honour the popular sentiment, Mr. Singh questioned the rationale behind repeated deferment of Assembly Elections in J&K. He said that Election Commission had earlier taken a call for simultaneous polls of Assembly & Parliament in 2019 which however did not materialize. It later issued a statement on 4th June 2019 stating therein that the EC “after the conduct of Amarnath Yatra will announce the election schedule for the conduct of Assembly Elections in J&K”, revealed Singh adding that it too turned out to be a damp squib. Likewise, statements of early Assembly polls were issued by Central Govt, Governor and the Lt. Governor of J&K also, which too created only cynicism amongst the masses in view of the frequency with which they were made and then forgotten.
Pointing towards euphoria created post Article 370 abrogation in the name of fresh Delimitation of Assembly constituencies, Mr. Singh said that it too had petered out with hardly any progress having been achieved in this regard. The Delimitation Commission had held barely one meeting with its associate members which too had failed to generate any hope. The uncertainty was however allowed to continue by making misleading statements about delimitation and early Assembly elections, lamented Harsh.
Regretting the pathetic plight of rural and remote areas and denial of even the basic amenities to them had sparked massive outrage in such far-flung areas, said Mr. Singh. He regretted that there were no takers for the shrill cries of the people of the hilly and such remote areas who were suffering for want of proper healthcare in times of corona pandemic besides being denied the regular supply of drinking water and electricity. He assured the people to project their sufferings before the appropriate authorities who seemed to have left them at the mercy of God. He said that with bureaucracy hardly having any accountability to the general masses, the common masses were immensely suffering for want of proper care and attention.
Asserting that a people’s govt alone could fulfil the aspirations of the general masses, Mr. Singh sought early restoration of democracy by putting an end to the proxy rule imposed by the centre in J&K.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Pushpinder Singh, Abdul Rashid Wani, Sagar Chand, Mohd Hanif, Shaf Din, Abdul Ilias, Ruksar Ahmed among others.