Criticizing the two main political parties of Kashmir-National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the name of “autonomy and self rule”, Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh said that Jammu & Kashmir will get true “self-rule” and “autonomy” under Narendra Modi Government, media reports said on Monday.
Singh while addressing a meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates contesting Block Development Council (BDC) elections, Sarpanches and Panches in Kathua Jammu, said that this will be quite in contrast to the frivolous slogans of “self-rule” and “autonomy” with which the Kashmir-centric rulers had befooled the people of the State for decades together, only to perpetuate their dynasty rule, generation after generation, Daily excelsior reported.
“it is important for us to understand and also make others understand that, this is for the first time after independence, that the concept of three-tier grass root democracy comprising of Panchayats, Block Development Councils and District Councils is being introduced in Jammu & Kashmir, even though this arrangement already exists in other parts of India,” the report quoted Singh as saying.
Singh alleged that these were the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and Congress who deprived the people of State for decades together of BDC as well as Panchayat elections and did not allow the democracy to percolate to grass root level.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the question to be asked to the champions of so – called “autonomy” is whether they have any moral authority to fool the people of Kashmir in the name of autonomy when they boycotted the Panchayat and BDC elections which are meant to confer autonomy to the representatives elected at the village level.
Similarly, he said, the champions of “self-rule” must reply, which “self-rule” are they talking about when their own Government resisted all efforts to hold Panchayat elections and when the election did happen in Governor’s rule, they boycotted them. The response to both Panchayat and BDC elections has been enthusiastic in the Kashmir valley also and the highest number of candidates for BDC elections is not from any district in Jammu region but from Kupwara and Baramulla districts, he added.
The Union Minister said this way the people of Kashmir have endorsed the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister, Amit Shah fully and they want to be the part of developmental agenda of Narendra Modi which is based on the Mantra ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas,’ Daily Excelsior reported.
