Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 8: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament from Anantnag, Hasnain Masoodi raised a volley of issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha (LS).
Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, Masoodi lamented sacking of a teacher Wazirudin by State Education Department in UP’s Bareilly town for making students’ recite legendary poet Sir Muhammad Iqbal’s poem in UP’s Bareilly, saying that Muslims are being pushed to edge across the country.
“His only fault was getting students to recite Muhammad Iqbal’s Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua. Don’t our police and army brass bands play Iqbal’s Sare Jahan Say Acha? How can the Government push 30 crore people towards the edge and be blind towards their plight? The very social fabric of the country is being tattered.
He said thousands of people are being arrested in Assam with no consideration for their families.
He further took pot shots at the Government accusing it of undercutting State’s rights and getting Governor’s work as political agents. “In Keshwanand Bharti case, the Supreme Court held that federalism is the basic structure of the Constitution. However, there are instances across the country where Governors are not giving due assent to bills passed by State Legislatures. Therefore there’s no reason for us to join the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address,” he added.
He further contended that J&K continues to remain under the bureaucratic rule for eight years now and that there was no semblance of normalcy in the region. “Government is making tall claims on democracy but why is that democracy being denied to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. If the situation is normal there then why aren’t the elections being held,” he said adding, “Jammu and Kashmir was denuded of its special status and bifurcated ditching all Constitutional norms. Nearly 16000 people were arrested. Many of them still continue to languish in jails across the country, he added.
Drawing the attention of the chair towards the bulldozer rampage, Masoodi said that every morning bulldozers are sent towards settlements across to unleash destruction. “Jammu and Kashmir isn’t the only place where people occupy State lands. In Gujarat nearly 30% of settlements are situated on State land and in the Financial Capital of our country the percentage stands at 50%. “We don’t see such rampage there. Why is that J&K is being accorded a different treatment? Are we part and parcel of this country? If unauthorized colonies and encroachments across the country are being converted into freehold rights, why is only JK being singled out?
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