Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 13: Disgruntled by the political impasse in the State, a contingent of Panthers Party activists led by its chairman and former Minister Harshdev Singh Singh and State president Balwant Singh Mankotia held a massive demonstration seeking an immediate dissolution of J&K Assembly and fresh elections, at Exhibition Ground here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Harshdev said that it had been more than a month since the Governor rule was imposed in the State of J&K with none of the political parties or coalitions staking claim to form the Govt. He said that on 31st January Governor sought a concrete reply from both the PDP and the BJP over the Government formation within two days time. Subsequently, on February 2nd the PDP had put certain conditions in the pretext of CBMs and indulged in unwarranted negotiation for forging a re-alliance, while the Saffron Party preferred to implore 8-10 days to review the conditions.
Harshdev reckoned that Governor’s office was not the forum to put conditions or buy time for the Government formation but a sacrosanct institution where both the parties were supposed to “agree” or “disagree” over continuing the alliance. He said that the imposition of Governor Rule which was constitutionally imperative due to the demise of the incumbent Chief Minister could not be prolonged or continued further by political coercion.
Mr Mankotia and Yashpal Kundal said that it was inappropriate and unconstitutional to keep the Assembly in suspended animation only at the behest BJP which was only bothered to keep the unholy alliance alive with the PDP to secure its ministerial berths. They maintained that following the despicable and meek surrenders before the PDP on the Jammu centric issues, BJP was grappling for power. They said that Governor must take serious cognizance of the fact that both the constitution and the democracy were being held hostage by the BJP for its petty political gains.
Follow our WhatsApp channel