Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 4: While reacting to the extension being granted to the present Delimitation Commission for delimiting the Assembly constituencies in J&K, JKNPP chairman and former minister Harshdev Singh questioned the output recorded and progress achieved by the said commission during the past one year from the date of its constitution on March 6, 2020.
“The Govt of India order constituting the commission had fixed one year term ending March 6, 2021 for the said commission to finalize and submit its report. With nothing to show in the name of progress during the past one year, the GOI’s slogans on early delimitation and Assembly elections in J&K appeared to be a mere eye-wash and a window dressing for the gullible public”, asserted Singh.
Addressing public meetings at Dalsar, Thaplal and Kirmu villages in Ramnagar constituency today, Singh pointed out that constitution of Delimitation Commission for fresh delimiting of Assembly constituencies was the major poll plank of BJP duly reflected in its election manifesto released in 2014. It however, preferred to remain silent over the issue for six long years with the formation of the commission having been announced only in March 2020.
He said despite the announcement of the said commission, there was hardly any progress achieved during the past around one year except convening of one meeting of Associate members that too at the fag end of the term of the commission expiring on March 6. Strangely, the opposition parties were being blamed for the delay in both, the delimitation of constituencies as well as holding of elections, Harshdev said.
Asserting that the boycott of one particular political party from the meeting of the commission should not be made an excuse for the much delayed exercise, Singh said the process needed to be completed in accordance with the law enunciated on the subject and within the time limit prescribed under the notification. He said that the BJP leadership was deliberately delaying the restoration of popular Govt in J&K only to continue its proxy rule in the erstwhile State. It seemed to be averse to the idea of handing over power to the public representatives by holding elections. And that was precisely the reason for delaying the process of delimitation and ultimately the elections, NPP leader observed.
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