Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 26: Launching a scathing attack on the Centre and State governments for creating hurdles in the way of the Assembly elections in J&K without any rationale, Harsh Dev Singh, JKNPP, chairman and former Minister regretted that it had not only amounted to subversion of democracy but also violated the orders of the Supreme Court.
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“The people could not be deprived of their democratic rights in the State only for the political inexpediencies of the ruling party at the Centre and vested interests in the State”, Singh S aid while addressing a press conference here, today.
Harsh Dev Singh divulged that in the month of January this year, CEO held All Party Meeting (APM) regarding Assembly polls during which all the political parties excluding the BJP endorsed the need of early elections in the State but nothing concrete emerged out of it. It was followed by the visit of full Election Commission which conducted a two day review of poll preparedness in the State. The Commission met with the representatives of various political parties and almost all of them voiced the need to have both Parliamentary and Assembly elections conducted at the earliest in view of the peaceful conduct of Panchayat and ULB elections. The ECI however overlooked the suggestion. It formed a committee of “special observers” comprising three eminent members to assess the situation on the ground before taking a decision about holding the Assembly elections in the State. Though the Lok Sabha elections were announced to be conducted in time, the fate of Assembly elections in the State surprisingly remained uncertain, Harsh rued. Terming the appointment of special observers by the EC as mere eyewash, Singh regretted that this exercise also proved a damp squib. And now once again the State officers had been summoned to Delhi by ECI which defied logic, he said adding that the State bureaucracy was the biggest stumbling block in the way of Assembly elections.
He maintained that the present dispensation in the State did not want elections for vested interests and were posing hindrances in the way of elections by taking frivolous excuses.
The NPP leader further stated that with the State earlier remaining under Governor rule for six months followed by President’s rule, it would be wholly unjustified and unconstitutional to plan further extension of Central rule after May 21. “Even the Supreme Court had ruled that elections to Legislative Assemblies in states, where Assemblies are prematurely dissolved, should be held within a period of six months, he added.
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