Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 18: The leaders and activists of JKNPP held protest demonstration at Exhibition Ground here demanding dissolution of State Assembly and holding of fresh elections.
The party activists led by its chairman Harshdev Singh and assisted by Yash Paul Kundal, ex-MLA Samba assembled near Press Club and started protest demonstration. It was followed by day long protest dharna at the site. The angry protestors also torched the effigy of Union Govt.
Speaking on the occasion Harshdev Singh said that Governor Rule had completed more than 40 days in the State with Assembly having been kept in suspended animation and with none of the political parties or combination of parties coming forth to claim the formation of the Govt. He said that Assembly suspension which though became a necessity due to the death of the incumbent Chief Minister could not be endlessly continued or prolonged at the behest of certain vested political interests.
The NPP leader said that the law on the subject was abundantly clear that if none of the parties or alliances were staking claim to form the Government, the only option with the Governor was to dissolve the Assembly. He said that despite three opportunities given by the Governor to PDP and BJP they had failed to arrive at a settlement which was sufficient ground for taking further action as per the mandate of constitution. He said that the prevalent circumstances called for dissolution of Assembly which however, was being avoided due to the pressures and coercive approach of BJP led Govt at the Centre.
Mr Kundal said that the people of the State were feeling cheated as the powers to govern and administer which were the prerogatives of an elected regime were assigned to bureaucrats despite peoples’ huge participation in the democratic process. He said that people would lose faith in democracy if any attempt was made to unite the two diametrically opposed political parties with complete ideological incompatibility only to share the crumbs of power.
Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Pratap, Sham Gorkha, Naresh Chib, Karnail Singh, Nirmal Kishore and Balwant Raj also spoke on the occasion.
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