Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 16: Lashing out at the Govt for taking unilateral decisions with regard to the holding of elections on party basis without taking political parties on board and allowing any political activity, Congress has said that even today party is ready to take part, provided their leaders are released and allowed complete political activity in a secure atmosphere, otherwise, we would leave it to the wisdom of people to choose right candidates.
In a press statement issued here today JKPCC chief G A Mir said that Govt was behaving like authoritarian and arbitrary manner by unilaterally announcing to hold by-elections to fill vacancies in the Panchayats, on party basis, when the general elections to these basic institutions were held on non -party basis and without taking the mainstream parties on board. He said Congress people are the best judge to choose the right candidates to serve them in the prevailing situation, in the absence of any democratic Government.
Mir said that Congress has always stood for democracy against all odds of the situation and risked their ranks for participating in the electoral exercises, from time to time. More particularly the PRIs are the brain child of Congress in the country, especially for the real transfer of power to the people through 73rd and 74th amendments, for the extension which the party risked its coalition in the State but unfortunately the arbitrary and authoritarian as well undemocratic style of the present dispensation has created piquant situations for the opposition, during the BDC elections on party basis by detaining all opposition leaders and again now without following any democratic traditions and creating conducive situations for the same.
On one hand, it is quite surprising and unprincipled that elections to the left out seats is being held on party basis, when general elections were held on non party basis and on the other hand there was no permission to hold any political activity for the last seven months. Even yesterday an indoor conference in Srinagar was disallowed, belying all false claims of normalcy and lack of restrictions on the routine political activities.
It appears that the Govt is hell bent to bypass all settled traditions of democracy at this crucial juncture and unilaterally takes decisions for conducting electoral exercises to make eye wash. He hoped that people understand the basic flaws in the policy and approach to democracy and would take correct decisions in the given situation.
PCC chief reiterated that let the Govt release it’s all party leaders and allow complete political activity with adequate security safeguards, the Party would still participate in the elections despite strong reservations over the style working of the present dispensation.
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