JAMMU: Political party leaders criticised the BJP-led central government on Saturday for the delay in holding assembly elections in J&K and claimed the union territory could not be governed remotely from Delhi.The leaders stressed the value of conversation when speaking at a roundtable discussion held in this city about how to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the current “quagmire”. Participants in the discussion on “Jammu and Kashmir – The Way Forward” included M. Y. Tarigami of the CPI-M, Rattan Lal Gupta of the National Conference (NC), Harsh Dev Singh of the National Panthers Party (NPP), Manish Saini of the Shiv Sena-BST, Varinder Singh Sonu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Muzaffar Shah, senior vice president of the Awami National.The discussion, which was sponsored by the Centre for Peace and Progress, was not attended by any members of Congress. Tarigami stated that the BJP will face the uneasy people of Jammu and Kashmir when the assembly elections are announced. He claimed that the public has great expectations of the Supreme Court and is convinced that it would respect the Constitution by delivering justice to them. To come to an agreement and work together to put an end to political uncertainty and bad governance so that people can find relief, dialogue is essential. Fresh elections are not being held after the Jammu and Kashmir assembly was dissolved in (November) 2018, according to Tarigami.On August 5, 2019, the Centre separated the former state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories and revoked its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has received a number of petitions against the Centre’s judgement. Daily hearings on the petitions will begin on August 2 before a five-judge constitution bench presided over by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud. Harsh Dev Singh of the NPP stated, “We have been subject to the proxy rule for the past five years, and it needs to cease. Kashmir and Jammu cannot be managed remotely from Delhi. Rattan Lal Gupta, a leader of the NC, asserted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are suffering greatly as a result of a lack of accountability, access to basic services, inflation, and rising unemployment. “The restoration of the pre-August 2019 position and a popular government is the key to the overall development of Jammu and Kashmir,” he declared. The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir policy is aimless, and all of its statements made after August 2019 have turned out to be false, according to Manish Saini of the Shiv Sena-BST.”Narco-terrorism has become a significant problem as more and more young people become victims of the threat. The government has failed to establish a safe environment for Kashmiri Pandits, thus they are still waiting to return to the valley, he said. Muzaffar Shah of the Awami National Conference charged that by introducing a measure in Parliament to give the Pahari community Scheduled Tribe status, the BJP was inciting the Gujjar and Bakarwal communities against one another. “Any group that is underprivileged has the right to reservation, but the way they are going about it is dividing people. The assembly and the people government should make these decisions, he said.The people of the Jammu and Kashmir part of the union territory have complete faith in the Constitution, according to O P Shah, chairman of the Centre for Peace and Progress. They are discussing postponing the assembly elections, regaining statehood, and anticipating the Supreme Court’s ruling on a number of petitions against the repeal of Article 370, Shah said. The speakers also disputed the BJP’s assertions about development. “The current administration has no trust in democracy if it claims that more progress was made while the lieutenant governor was in office.Although governor’s rule is only temporary, it is ultimately necessary to restore the people’s government in order to uphold parliamentary democracy, he stated.
