Srinagar, Jun 26 : Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Wednesday said having a democratically elected government is the constitutional right of people.
Party general secretary Haji Ali Muhammad Sagar while addressing a series of worker’s convention at Baramulla, Sangrama said that the governor administration has miserably failed to run the state. “In no way can a governor or few bureaucrats replace the 87 elected members of the state legislative assembly. The present state of affairs in the state typifies chronic oligarchy. The inordinate delay in conducting elections to the state assembly has unfortunately taken its toll on the functioning of administration,” he said.
Sagar said that the governor’s administration is more into politicking than carrying out administrative affairs of the state efficiently. “On one hand we hear the honorable state Governor Say that not a single sparrow was hurt during the conduct of Parliament elections in the state. In the same vein he also eulogized his administration over the smooth conduct of ULB and Panchayat elections. If the situation was conducive to conduct ULB, Panchayat and Parliament elections; why isn’t the situation deemed fit for the conduct of assembly elections. The state administration had itself expressed satisfaction over the conduct of successive ULB, Panchayat and Parliament elections. It was the governor himself who had frankly admitted to the improvement in the ground situation in Kashmir valley, and then what is stopping them from conducting Assembly elections in the state. The underhanded motive of not ensuring the state a representative government is fraught with politics,” he said.
Party general secretary while censuring the Governor’s administration for failing to rise up to the expectations of the people of the state said, “The people of the state are feeling disconsolate in absence of a representative civilian government. The people of the state are snowed under plethora of problems. On one hand our students are being put to undue duress by placing their exam centers out of the state. Our youth continue to face intimidation and arrests. The commuters on the national highway continue to face everyday harassment. The unemployment in our state is at all time high, recently the news had it that our state tops the national unemployment ratio. There has been no headway towards the augmentation of infrastructure in health, education, and services sector. Everything has come to a grinding halt. The situation demands having a representative civilian government that could head on take the challenge of putting the state back on the track of development.”
Party’s senior leader Abdul Rahim Rathar while addressing the convention said, “Today we see one man parties being propped up in every alley and street of Kashmir. The trend is only confined to our valley only. The forces as are inimical to the special status of the state want to divide the voice of people. We see people having notorious past come in new facades and form parties every now and then. Many erstwhile devious elements have also been propped against National Conference. However people have rejected all of them in the parliament elections. People are familiar with the actual disposition of these forces as are coming up with one man parties every now and then. However with the active participation of people the party will trounce all the political shenanigans aimed at dividing our voice. People have made it a point to give NC a full majority in the state assembly.”
Provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani while addressing the workers said that the securing internal autonomy was the chief agenda of the party. “It was NC that gave the state its special identity within the Union of India. It is high time for the present government to accept the ground situation and restore back to the state what was abrogated since 1953. I hope that the visit of the Incumbent Home minister Amit Shah be productive. We have only been hearing hollow catch words and false promises from the visiting central cabinet minister. Last time former Home minister had promised to replace lethal Pellet gun from the security apparatus of Kashmir, but the promise didn’t see any implementation. However I am hopeful that the present government will use its mandate to bring respite to the people from insecurity and morass.”
He also asked the central government and the election commission of India to immediately announce overdue assembly elections. “It’s our right to have a civilian government in the state. Denying the same does not augment well for a healthy democratic set up,” he said adding, “the party will move to Supreme Court of India against the inordinate election delay.”
Among others Syed Bashrat Bukhari, Javaid Ahmad Dar, Showkat Mir, Dr. Sajad Uri, Ghulam Hassan Rahi, Advocate Shahid Ali, Jagjeet Singh Azad, Janak Sing Sodi also addressed the workers and impressed upon them to make the party stronger on grass roots.
