Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 11: Accusing the BJP Govt of delaying and denying the restoration of popular rule in J&K on one pretext or the other for its vested political interests, a strong contingent of JKNPP led by former minister and chairman JKNPP held a protest demonstration in Jammu today.
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The protestors raised slogans seeking the end of proxy rule in J&K and holding of assembly elections without any further delay. Alleging subversion of democracy in J&K post Article 370 abrogation, Harsh Dev Singh, 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 popular rule in J&K, the BJP Govt seemed to be least bothered about holding time bound delimitation of Assembly constituencies in the UT created on August 5, 2019.
“While the saffron regime was creating a lot of `jangle and rattle’ over the issue of delimitation and increase of seats for Jammu, the fact remained that it failed to initiate any action in respect thereof except constitution of Delimitation Commission despite lapse of more than 26 months after the conversion of state into UTs,” Singh observed.
He said that while delimitation of DDC constituencies in J&K was effected within one week by the present dispensation, the helmsmen had failed to come out with any convincing explanation for the inordinate delay in delimiting Assembly constituencies. He said that with delimitation delayed and denied, political process having been rendered defunct in J&K and political parties discredited and discouraged, the Centre seemed to be hell bent to continue its proxy rule in the erstwhile Dogra state through its chosen ones.
The rumours were agog that the BJP was persuading the Delimitation Commission to delay the process so as to deny elections in J&K and that the draft of delimitation would actually be finalized by the BJP, divulged Singh adding that any connection or nexus between the said commission and a political party would completely shatter the faith of the common masses in autonomous bodies.
Asserting that elected government alone could meet the aspirations of the people, Singh questioned the rationale behind repeated postponement of Assembly Elections in J&K. He said general masses were fatigued with the bureaucratic rule. He called for an end to proxy rule in J&K and early restoration of democracy in the erstwhile state.
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