Ex-BJP Corporator joins NC
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 17: National Conference additional general secretary and former minister Ajay Kumar Sadhotra today lambasted the BJP for perpetual delay in elections to Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, which amounts to undermining democratic principles and rights of the people of this region.
“Equally responsible is the Election Commission of India which ought to have announced the elections in Jammu and Kashmir simultaneously along with the Lok Sabha polls, as has been done in the four other states like Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim,” Sadhotra said at a function held in Jammu North Assembly Constituency at Lower Muthi to welcome the former BJP Corporator of Jammu Municipal Corporation Ward No. 32 Satpal Karloopia and his workers into National Conference.
Sadhotra said that the ECI cannot just play on both sides of the fence, as it could have asserted its constitutional obligations of holding polls in Jammu and Kashmir where elections to the Assembly were held a decade ago. It is too long a time in a democratic set up, and logically also, if the elections could be conducted in the Lok Sabha constituencies here why not to the Legislative Assembly, enabling the people to have a representative government, he asked.
The NC leader said despite repeated promises post August 2019 political developments, the delay in elections in Jammu and Kashmir has raised concerns about the BJP’s commitment to genuine democratic governance in this part of the country. He termed the BJP as anti- people and anti- J&K as its actions and policies have marginalized the interests of the local population and eroded democratic norms. The delay in the Assembly elections, along with other measures, has fueled perceptions of a disregard for the democratic rights and aspirations of the people of J&K, he added.
Provincial president, Jammu Rattan Lal Gupta questioned the BJP’s approach to governance and its commitment to inclusivity and democratic values, saying Jammu and Kashmir is a glaring example. By not facilitating elections the so-called double engine government has demonstrated its sheer disregard for public sentiments and frustration in the ranks of the ruling elite, he added.
Former minister Ram Pal and Abdul Gani Malik also spoke on the occasion.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
