Excelsior Correspondent
CHENANI, June 26: Re-iterating the demand for early restoration of democracy in J&K and holding of early assembly polls, Harsh Dev Singh, former Minister and senior AAP leader today said that the erstwhile state was being illogically and illegitimately deprived of popular Govt in violation of constitutional guarantees as well as the ‘obiter dicta’ laid down by the Apex court over the subject.
“A remote controlled system of governance could not be the solution for the woes and sufferings of the people of J&K. It’s the local leaders and local Ministers and elected MLAs who could better address the concerns of their people and bail them out from their sufferings and pains,” said Mr Singh while addressing public meetings in Samroli, Bindla and Chenani town during his two days tour. The programme was organized by Nazia Farooqi Katoch.
He said that the outside bureaucrats and New Delhi leaders, despite their best of efforts, could not be the substitute for legitimate, elected Govt which alone could address the peculiar problems of the new set up in J&K.
“While the unprecedented power cuts and drinking water scarcity have made the lives of people a living hell, the proxy Govt imposed by the Centre is acting as a mute spectator. No concrete measures are being taken to address the chaotic situation which had created massive resentment all over the UT,” he said.
Lampooning the inordinate delay in holding Assembly elections in the new UT, Mr Singh said that the Centre’s proxy rule in J&K was antithetical to democracy and amounted to subversion of the constitution. “The constitution categorically provided for a federal system of governance with timely elections for the Union as well as State legislatures. Any further delay would only amount to violation of the Indian Constitution which the Centre claims to have extended to the UT of J&K,” he said, adding that it would further be violative of the directives of the Supreme Court which has held that election should be completed within six months in all those States/UTs wherein the assemblies are dissolved prematurely.
Prominent among those, who spoke on the occasion, included Manju Singh, Varun Bhagat, Basharat Ali, Col Som Raj Sharma, Mohd Farooq, Mohd Bashir, Manmohan, Munna Verma and others.
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