First anniversary of Art 370 abrogation
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 4: Ahead of the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A, opposition parties and their leaders in J&K lambasted BJP led Central Government for false propaganda and fake promises made with people of J&K before abrogation of the articles and resolved to fight for restoration of statehood.
Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Ex-MP in a statement, said that the Government of India under the leadership of Narender Modi, has scored a self goal and caused great loss to the India and also to the people of J&K state. He said that the BJP did false propaganda that Article 370 brought and perpetrated militancy in J&K though Article 370 was introduced in the Constitution of India in 1949 where as militancy in J&K State erupted in 90’s where militancy remain hidden and dormant for 40 long years.
Describing August 5, 2019 political moves in Jammu and Kashmir as emotionally tortuous for the Jammu region in particular, National Conference said the trauma is unabated with people nurturing the feeling of being politically and socially disempowered and marginalized.
“Conversion of the state into Union Territory amounts to belittling the glorious Dogra pride”, the senior NC leaders including provincial president Devender Singh Rana, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Surjeet Singh Salathia and others said in a joint statement issued from Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan. They recalled the dreams sold at the time of revocation of special status to J&K, asking what extraordinary development has taken place during the past one year.
“Instead of bringing down the promised moon for the people, they feel deprived of normal developmental activities with the utility services remaining in shambles. There has not been any forward moment in the normal developmental activities due to administrative inertia and lack of accountability, they added.
Terming the actions undertaken on the 5th of August 2019 as undemocratic onslaught on the rights and honor of the people of J&K, party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar in Srinagar said the measures betrays breach of faith and outrageous back peddling on the solemn commitments the people of J&K had got from the union of India at the time of Accession. Dar said that the party will mark August 5 as the day of mourning.
Peoples Conference said the Union Government’s decision to revoke special status of the erstwhile state was not acceptable to the masses and the day would be remembered as a ‘sad day’. “Decisions taken on and after August 5 (2019) are not acceptable to people. These decisions have been thrust on the people of Kashmir and are bereft of any acceptance or legitimacy amongst the masses,” the party said in a statement.
The party leaders termed August 5 move a travesty of justice and “unconstitutional and undemocratic” step taken by the Centre. “The harsh treatment meted out to the people who have advocated and championed for democracy has left them red-faced and humiliated. They are now being rendered to helpless mute bystanders while non-locals decide on the fate and destiny of the inhabitants of J&K,” the party said.
“It has been a year since BJP Government scrapped J&K’s special status under Article 370, 35A and demoted the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, however, the claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the move would end decades-long militancy, separatism and corruption in the region and bring development, jobs and prosperity to the region, proved to be a hoax,” J&K CPI(M) said in a statement.
The party said that the only thing that the revocation of Article 370 has achieved so far is a complete abrogation of democracy in J&K and an unconscionable suppression of civil and democratic rights. “On this dark anniversary and at this critical juncture of our history we must resolve to unitedly safe guard the interests of our people and resist the attempts of the Government to throttle democracy and rights of the people,” the statement said.
Sunil Dimple, president, Jammu West Assembly Movement, while addressing a press conference here today, disclosed that he will again sit on hunger strike on August 10 for the restoration of statehood and special status of Jammu and Kashmir as the Government is least bothered about the miseries and hardships of the people after the demotion of our beautiful J&K state into an ordinary union territory, following abrogation of Article 370 and scrapping our special status.
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