Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 21: Opposition People’s Democratic Party today said the impression that the Governments in Jammu and Kashmir are actually “made in Delhi” has been a major reason for democracy being “unable to take firm roots” in the State.
“Democracy is an idea and a way of life that has to have complete freedom from curbs and restrictions the State has witnessed for one reason or the other. As long as the impression that external elements can influence the outcome of elections lingered, efforts at changing the atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty would fail,” PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said while addressing a public meeting at Lolab in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Sayeed said the ability of the people to elect their own Government and the discretion to change them is the first requirement for their empowerment.
“But unfortunately with only a few exceptions, there has been a strong element of doubt about the fairness of polls in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The former chief minister said while there was a huge responsibility on the Central leadership in ensuring free and fair elections, the people of the State too had to respond to this situation with courage and wisdom.
The PDP patron said as the elections draw closer the ruling National Conference (NC) has started “making noises about the State’s eroded political authority” and the “exploitation of water and power resources”.
“NC was singularly responsible for the power mess in the state, for its mismanagement of available resources and primarily for selling out the projects to NHPC,” he said.
“It remains a mystery as to why Dr Farooq Abdullah had to hand over seven most feasible power projects to the NHPC in 2000 at a time when he enjoyed unprecedented majority in the Assembly with as many as 65 MLAs. Was it only to please his then NDA allies and pay a tribute to them for giving a junior ministership to his son even without entering into a proper agreement with NHPC? the Mufti asked.
He said whatever the reason the disastrous trend started by Dr Farooq Abdullah continued with the present coalition that handed over another three projects under the highly lopsided arrangement with NHPC in the garb of a so called joint venture in which the State is a loser in spite of owning the water.
Not only this, Mufti said, the shift to the Reserve Bank of India from our own J&K Bank is proving a mighty blow against the State’s development process. He said these sell outs have had a devastating impact on State’s economy but PDP would strive to reverse the situation with people’s help and support.
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