Will stress for early Assembly polls, Statehood
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 11: National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah today chaired a meeting with leaders of more than a dozen parties which culminated with the decision to meet the Election Commission in New Delhi for an early Assembly election in Jammu & Kashmir and restoration of its Statehood.
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The three-hour long meeting held at Dr Abdullah’s residence here, also decided to meet national leaders from the Opposition camp to seek their assistance in restoring democracy in the Union Territory.
Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani, Working President Raman Bhalla, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami, PDP leader Amrik Singh Reen, National Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh, Awami National Conference (ANC) leader Muzaffar Shah, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and District Development Council member Taranjit Singh Tony, Dogra Sadar Sabha president Gulchain Singh Charak, Shiv Sena (UTB) leader Manish Sahni and Mission Statehood president Sunil Dimple were among others present in the meet.
“The meeting was convened to the prevailing situation, unrest among the people and discuss future course of action. All leaders put forth their view point and it was unanimously decided that we will go to Delhi and meet the national leaders (from the opposition) to brief them about the issues being faced by the people.
“We will brief them and seek their help in restoration of full Statehood and democratically elected Government. Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), Home Minister (Amit Shah) are saying that there is peace, then why not the (Assembly) elections be held,” Abdullah told reporters after the meeting.
He said they will call on the Election Commission and would also invite the national leaders in the meeting to seek early elections in the Union Territory.
“The last Assembly elections in J&K took place in 2014 and there is a Supreme Court ruling that the polls be held within six months after the dismissal of an elected Government. The people want the popular Government back in place,” the National Conference president said.
Referring to the anti-encroachment drive and imposition of Property Tax, he said there is an extraordinary situation prevailing in J&K where orders are passed in the night by the Lt Governor Administration and implemented next day.
“We want a popular Government and (restoration of) Statehood. Not a truncated Statehood but a powerful Statehood like every other State has. This is for the first time in the history of the nation that a proud State has been reduced to a UT, a tragedy of this nation,” Farooq said.
He said J&K is an integral part of the nation and not a separate part.
“Why are they trying to do something to us when we belong to this nation? We want this region – whether Kashmir, Jammu or Ladakh – to progress and people be allowed to elect their representatives,” Dr Abdullah said.
Asked whether they will meet the Prime Minister and Home Minister during their visit to the Union capital, he said it will be decided later.
“After returning from Delhi, we will meet here (in Jammu) again and a similar exercise will be held in Kashmir to chalk out the future course of action,” he added.
He condemned the lathicharge on the job aspirants protesting against the hiring of a previously blacklisted company by the administration to conduct computer based written tests.
“Our democratic country is run by a Constitution,” he said, criticizing the functioning of the BJP-led Central Government and Lt Governor-led administration in J&K.
Dr Abdullah said the LG administration is not a people’s Government and neither the LG nor his officers have any stake to face the public in elections.
Targeting BJP, he asked how long you will hoodwink the people and divide them on the basis of religion. “Mahatma Gandhi has seen a ray of hope in J&K at the time of partition when the entire country was engulfed in communal violence. We are proud that the communal brotherhood is still prevailing in J&K which is secular and will remain so.”
Asked whether Democratic Azad Party chairman and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was also invited for the meeting, he said “the doors are open for everyone.”
Tarigami said the message to the people of J&K from this platform is that their leaders are united and they will not let them down.
“Our message to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh is that there were attempts to divide us and break our ranks but we are united and will not let you down. We have come together to safeguard the Constitution and strengthen democracy,” Tarigami said.
In response to a question about his recent statement that there are chances for DMK top leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin to become the next Prime Minister, Dr Abdullah said time demands that all the opposition parties come together to safeguard the democracy and the Constitution.
“We all want unity as it is our strength. It was the issue we discussed there and not who will be the Prime Minister. After elections, we will see who will be the best man to lead the country,” he said.
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