Situation in Kashmir worse than early 90’s: Harsh Dev

‘Modi, Shah, LG should resign’

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, June 3: Expressing strong condemnation of extremist violence in the erstwhile state of J&K and selective killings of civilians and security personnel, former minister and senior AAP leader Harsh Dev Singh today charged the Centre of having converted the UT into a vortex of violence.
Expressing grave concern over the spate of killings in Kashmir including cold blooded murder of a school teacher Rajni Bala, branch manager Vijay Kumar and even poor labourers, Singh said that Centres’ proxy rule had completely failed to deal with the situation in J&K which had become worse than early 90’s.
He said that while the governance in the UT seemed to have been outsourced to outside bureaucrats, there were hardly any takers for the growing alienation amongst the people against the present misrule. He said that with the political process having been rendered defunct in the UT, political parties discredited and discouraged and saner voices suppressed through Govt agencies, the law and order seemed to have totally collapsed. He sought the resignation of PM, HM and the Lt Governor of UT for the explosive situation created in J&K post reorganization of the state.
Maintaining that apathetic and lackadaisical approach of the Centre towards J&K was responsible for re-emergence of militancy in J&K, Singh said that J&K needed a full time popular government to save itself from further disaster. The decisions of August 5, 2019 and extension of various other laws in pursuance thereof including the domicile law did not seem to have inspired the common masses or the youth of the UT. The fact remained that abrogation of article 370 had failed to make any difference except that it was being used as a political fire-cracker in other states during elections.
He said that the recent killings of civilians and disturbances in various parts of UT had exposed the absurd claims of the government. Accusing the Central Govt of indulging in incessant chest thumping in the wake of growing alienation in J&K, Singh called for early restoration of political process in J&K. He said the outside bureaucrats having hardly any affinity with people of J&K and unmindful of their needs, woes and sufferings could never be an alternative to an elected govt in the UT. He said that local leadership alone could represent the cause of its people, fulfill their aspirations.