Shadow Correspondent
Jammu,May, 12
Alleging a deep rooted conspiracy by vested interests in delay and deny over Assembly elections in J&K, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP and former Minister said that not the people of the State were denied their constitutional rights but a grave threat has been posed to the democracy. Frivolous excuses given by the State government to the ECI for deferring the elections clearly indicated GoI’s mala fide intentions of running proxy government in J&K through President’s rule by holding democracy hostage, regretted Harsh. He was addressing a press conference in Jammu today.
Lambasting the State govt run by the Governor’s administration for creating hurdles in the way of the Assembly elections in J&K without any rationale, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh rued that democracy in the State was being ruthlessly murdered for the political convenience of the ruling party at the Centre and vested interests in the State. “BJP knowing the fact that it has lost the ground in its core constituency is desperate to postpone the Assembly polls while the Governor and his power intoxicated coterie have despicably glued themselves to the throne by divesting people from having an elected govt in the State”, angry Harsh said. Describing the appointment of “special observers” by the EC as futile exercise, Mr. Singh said poll body’s failure to announce the Assembly polls in the State despite all the political parties endorsing to hold elections at the earliest, had created perception among the people that EC had become puppet in the Saffron hands.”Though Lok Sabha elections were announced and conducted on time, the fate of Assembly elections was still marred with suspense.
In view of successful LS elections besides the opinion of political parties favouring early polls, the frail and insubstantial excuses concocted by the State government over security concern, religious festivals, holy pilgrimages, monsoons, tourism season besides others for deferring the said polls sounded flimsy and defied all logic”, asserted Harsh.
Terming bureaucracy in J&K as the biggest stumbling block in the way of Assembly Elections, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh wondered if the State officers were to be summoned to New Delhi for their opinion on Assembly polls, then for what purpose did ECI constitute the committee of ‘special observers’. “Why is the EC hesitant to announce its decision? Is this not contempt of Supreme court ruling which said that elections to the prematurely dissolved Legislative Assemblies in the states should be held within a period of six months? If the Municipal, Panchayat and Parliamentary elections could be held in the state, then what was the hitch for EC to conduct the Assembly elections? Whether the present State dispensation was sabotaging the Assembly elections by quoting outlandish reasons on the directions of GoI and its personal motives?”, questioned Harsh.
