It is a ploy to disempower people: Mehbooba
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 5: While BJP and its likeminded organisations have welcomed the Delimitation Commission recommendations which were presented to Law Ministry at New Delhi today, the Opposition parties including People’s, Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference (NC), Peoples Conference (PC) and CPI (M) have outrightly rejected the same.
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PDP president and former Chief Minister of J&K, Mehbooba Mufti while rejecting the Delimitation Commission report alleged that the Commission has ignored the population and “We reject it lock, stock and barrel”.
Talking to media persons at Anantnag, Mehbooba said that the recommendation of Delimitation Commission are part of annulling of Article 370 and snatching of rights of the people of J&K. This is a ploy of BJP Government to weaken the people of J&K and disempower them.
However, the National Conference (NC) said that the party was studying the impact of the Delimitation Commission report on individual Assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir. The party claimed that the BJP and its proxies will be punished by the voters whenever elections are held in the Union Territory.
“No amount of gerrymandering will change the ground reality which is that whenever elections are held the voter will punish the BJP and its proxies for what they have done to J&K over the last four years” the National Conference tweeted.
The BJP on the other hand termed the Delimitation Commission recommendations historic. In a statement party Seh Prabari for J&K, Ashish Sood said the Final Delimitation order issued by the Delimitation Commission is a welcome move. This is historic in many aspects as for the first time Jammu and Kashmir has been treated as a single entity which will lead to the end of alienation of some areas and communities and will open the doors of equitable political representation and growth to every area of Jammu and Kashmir.
This is historic step as it will open the doors of inclusive democratic process by recommending two seats for the displaced Kashmiri Hindus in the State Legislative Assembly with the all powers at par with the other members of Assembly which will lead to the participation of displaced Hindu community in the political process. He said recommendation made for giving two seats to displaced people from PoJK is also a welcome step.
But the People’s Conference (PC) said the delimitation report is a repeat of the past and the party accused the NC of providing sanctity to the delimitation exercise.
“Same traditional entities are calling the shots behind the scene. Kashmir has been discriminated against as in the past. No change. Only degree of disempowerment is greater”, the party said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Former Union Minister, Prof. Saifuddin Soz said that the report can never be accepted by the people of J&K.
In a statement, he said the Commission’s recommendations of adding six Assembly seats to Jammu region and only one seat to Kashmir smacks of its pre-determined erroneous assessment of the situation. Many observers had already suspected that the Commission would play the nefarious game in tandem with the Union Government, he added.
BJP JK UT president, Ravinder Raina welcomed the report of the Commission saying the recommendations made to grant two seats each to PoJK and Kashmiri Hindu refugees is a historic step.
Senior BJP leader and former MLA, Devender Singh Rana termed the final report of Delimitation Commission as all inclusive political empowerment of all the segments of Jammu and Kashmir population.
Complimenting the Commission for a judicious report Rana said, it has opened equal opportunities for all in the political process and decision making thereby equitably empowering all the residents of J&K irrespective of caste creed region and religion which forms the core of democracy.
Senior BJP and Kashmir Pandit leader, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo has also welcomed the report. He said “It is a matter of great satisfaction that the Commission recommended two Kashmiri Pandits be nominated to Assembly. This shows that they have realised our pain and the situation which we are passing through by conceding our demand by making recommendation of two seats in Assembly”. He also welcomed the recommendation made for two seats for PoJK refugees.
Senior BJP leader, Girdhari Lal Raina has also welcomed the final Delimitation order. Expressing deep appreciation for recommending additional ACs to be reserved for displaced community from Kashmir and PoJK he hoped that these recommendations would be accepted and required measures taken before elections are announced.
Prominent Gujjar leader from J&K, Shamsheer Hakla Poonchi has also welcomed the final report especially the reservation of nine sets to the STs of J&K. He said that the STs of UT got justice after a long wait of over 70 years. He said despite granting ST status to Gujjars and Bakerwals in 1991, the successive Governments denied political recommendations to this tribe for their vested interests. He said Modi Government however, deserves all kudos for taking this historic step.
Javed Rahi, a noted Tribal Researcher and founder secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation has welcomed the report for reserving nine seats for STs. The Foundation celebrated the occasion and termed it a great decision.
Former MLC and senior Congress leader Balbir Singh while welcoming the report said renaming Kathua North as Jasrota is a victory of people. Reacting to the final report, he said it was the demand of the people to rename Kathua North as Jasrota.
Kashmiri Pandit Conference (KPC) has also welcomed the final report of Delimitation Commission for recommending nomination of two seats each for displaced Kashmiri Pandits and PoJK refugees. He, however demanded that Displaced Pandits be given five seats in Assembly and one in Parliament.
CPI (M) while rejecting the report said the Delimitation Commission has submitted its final report despite the Constitutional freeze on the increase or decrease of Parliamentary or Assembly seats. The party said though the Delimitation Commission was constituted under the Delimitation Act of 2002 but it has redrawn the constituencies of UT of J&K in accordance with the provisions of J&K Reorganisation Act 2019 which has been challenged in the Apex Court.
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