SRINAGAR Peoples Democratic Party on Monday termed the announcement of Panchayat and Urban Local Body polls in Jammu and Kashmir reflection of Government of Indias ‘sheer arrogance’, cautioning that such a move could turn the already violence infested state into an inferno.
In a statement issued here, PDP General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura stated that despite the stiff opposition exhibited by the political parties in the state, the decision to go ahead with the conduction of polls reflects how the helmsmen in New Delhi want to make such a vital democratic exercise a one way street in the state.
He added the PDP and other political groups have already been voicing their concern that the situation in the state is not conducive for the conduction of any elections and that the central government has to initiate confidence building measures in a bid to rebuild peoples trust and faith in the institutions of democracy.
However, according to him, New Delhi instead of taking into consideration the views and opinions put forth by states political spectrum went ahead by announcing the poll dates. New Delhi has to understand what it will achieve by holding such polls when the situation merits pacification and reconciliation on ground. Further, what has acted as a spoilsport in the entire process was governments linking of polls with the hearing of 35-A. This is unnatural, bizarre and unacceptable, Hanjura said.
He maintained further that the people in the state are up in arms for the protection of Article 35-A from any assault and centres decision to link the polls with the hearing of the case has set the alarm bells ringing in Jammu and Kashmir. Why despite such a unanimous opposition by the political groups in the state for holding of polls has the government of India decided thrust this exercise on the already perturbed people of the state. It is proving that something somewhere in the decision making has went terribly wrong which needs immediate rectification by the GOI, Hanjura said.
Reacting to the statement of BJP leader and minister Jiterndra Singh that political groups in the state fear rout and that is why they oppose holding of the polls, Hanjura said the BJP leader should have kept the fact in mind that PDP has already proven its might by emerging as the single largest party in the state and that such statements coming from the BJP are proving that the party is playing ostrich with its head stuck in sand when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir.
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