NPP activists stage protest demonstration
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 4: Urging upon the visiting ECI team to ensure free and fair elections in J&K state, NPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh today sought stringent action against bureaucrats/ officers who were working under the tutelage of certain corrupt politicians and promoting their political interests.
Addressing a protest dharna near Press Club Jammu today Singh said that security scenario which had deteriorated over the years in the State could be retrieved to a large extent if the concept of free and fair polls was translated into reality in the true sense. Pointing towards the large scale allegations of rigging and electoral manipulations in 1987 polls, Singh said that such alleged subversion of public mandate had resulted in gradual deterioration of law and order in the state which ultimately reached a point of no return.
Alleging saffronization of administration on the eve of polls, Singh said that planned placement of biased officers on prime positions during ensuing elections was highly unjust and capricious as they could influence the polls in a big way. He regretted that despite repeated complaints against some of such officers, the Govt had failed to take action against them thereby revealing the vested interests of the helmsmen in giving them sensitive postings. He said that Panthers Party had organized protests on the visit of ECI so as to draw the attention of the apex election body towards the abuse of position and authority by reckless Govt functionaries for furthering political prospects of their political masters.
Asserting that the slogan of free and fair elections could not materialize under the motivated and prejudiced officers, Singh called for indulgence of ECI for shifting of such officers from prime positions besides initiation of action against those who were overzealously working under the tutelage of politicians and promoting their interests under a more loyal than the king policy in utter disregard for civil service regulations and election laws.
“Such transgressions into the political arena by unscrupulous officers had threatened the very concept of liberal democracy as opposition leadership was being bullied and embarrassed,” he said.
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