Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 28: Chairman, JKNPP and former minister Harsh Dev Singh today observed that transition of J&K to UT not only amounted to demotion of State as well as of its people but also a mockery of the historic decision of Maharaja Hari Singh who acceded the Dogra State to the Union of India by executing the Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947.
Talking media persons here today Singh said that the BJP Govt’s decision of downgrading the said State had not only humiliated the creators of this State and its proud citizens but had further weakened and debilitated democracy in J&K besides causing its political dis-empowerment. He pointed out that the elected representatives in the new systems would lose most of the powers which were conferred upon them as regular members of State Legislature.
While the new arrangement in the UT would witness disempowerment of the MLAs and Ministers to a great extent, the Union Govt and its nominated functionaries would have an enhanced role in the affairs of the new set up. Not only the role of political executive in the affairs of state would get diminished in the new UT, but the Legislative powers of the Legislators would also be prejudicially affected, Singh said.
Singh further said that a bill passed by State Legislature can be returned once by the Governor for re-consideration of the Legislators and if it is again passed by them in the same form, the Governor can’t decline assent to the bill. In a Union Territory, however, the Lt Governor is empowered not only to propose amendments but can decline to give approval to the bill and send any bill to the President of India for his consideration. The law making powers of the elected representatives therefore also become subjective and restrictive in a UT”, Singh maintained.
“Making the political executive subservient to bureaucracy was most likely to prove counterproductive besides adversely impacting the administrative functioning in a political system. It is an anti theises to the very spirit of democracy. The MLAs, Ministers and the Chief Minister would lose not only in terms of powers but in position and stature as well with several constitutional authorities and bureaucrats attaining positions higher than them in the administrative hierarchy as enunciated in the warrant of precedence”.
He said that J&K was earlier an independent state with a Maharaja. It was followed by a Prime Minister and Sadar-e-Riyasat for the state which eventually made way for CM and Governor. And now, with a CM’s post and Lt Governor to take over, it had got reduced to a glorified municipality, Singh rued.
“Statehood for Jammu only can satiate the urges and aspirations of the people,” Singh asserted.
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