J&K going through extremely difficult times: Tarigami

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 25: Describing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir extremely difficult, senior Communist Party of India (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Wednesday alleged that only development in J&K since abrogation of Article 370 was that Police Stations (PS) and jails are full.
Justifying participation in the District Development Council (DDC) elections by political parties opposing scrapping of special status of J&K, former MLA said non-participation in the elections would have certainly dampened interests of common man.
Addressing CPI(M) one day-long convention at Rest House, Kulgam in south Kashmir Tarigami said Jammu and Kashmir is going through extremely difficult situation. The DDC elections were announced amid uncertainty and without any consultations with political parties. But nevertheless non-participation in DDC elections would have shunned the interests of common man, he said.
He said to vote or not to vote became a topic of discussion for several years in Kashmir. History and experience sufficiently demonstrates that neither voting nor the boycott changed the political course of Kashmir. However, the boycott of elections virtually leads to disempowerment of people which is the reason that the political parties in J&K decided to participate in these polls though announced abruptly.
Tarigami said in the absence of any democratic structure in J&K for the last more than two years, people feel powerless and helpless as their basic issues and agonies are increasing day by day. There is a situation where bureaucracy, which is highly insensitive towards the common man’s sufferings, is running the show.
He said despite the tall claims of the administration about development, ground situation is entirely different alleging that there is no adequate electricity, ration stores in several areas are empty, welfare schemes are suffering because of inadequate funds, requirements to face Covid-19 pandemic are not sufficiently taken care of, projects already undertaken are virtually defunct and no new projects have been undertaken.