Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Sept, 06
“With several opposition leaders of different political parties except BJP having been placed under house arrest and others restrained from holding political functions in the state of J&K, it is only the BJP which enjoys unfettered discretion to hold rallies and organize press conferences to disseminate its political philosophy”. This was stated by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and Former Minister while accusing the govt of enforcing two sets of laws in J&K. He said that it was a peculiar law and order situation in J&K in which BJP leaders alone had the powers to organize political meetings to the exclusion of entire opposition whose political activity was being declared as prejudicial to public peace. “Oppressively unique are the ways of the present regime. Unknown and unheard in legal juris prudence. The ruling party enjoys the monopoly of all political activity in the state. If you belong to opposition camp, you can’t go to your people. The non BJP leaders are however allowed to hold meetings provided they support the political ideology of the ruling party. These leaders can either Join BJP or they need to keep their mouth shut and remain confined within the four walls of their houses. Even meeting the press is prohibited. Its unheard in the history of democracy that democratic rights have been restricted only to the leaders of ruling party while denying the same to opposition camp”, lamented Singh.
Pointing towards the recent developments in the state, Mr. Singh said that some leaders of Jammu region had joined the saffron party simply out of fear despite being its die hard critics and opposed to the core philosophy of the said party. He said that there were loud whispers that ruling party had been resorting to coercion and intimidation to break the opposition leaders with some of them being terrified in the name of their past shady doings. And several others were silenced by the use of brute force, regretted Singh.
Alleging subversion of democracy in the state, Mr. Singh urged upon the President of India to intervene as the constitutional head of the nation and ensure the lifting of embargo on the civil liberties of opposition in J&K. He regretted that even the media was being restrained from carrying the statements of opposition leaders even if these pertained to the violation of their fundamental rights as citizens of this great nation. “There were occasions on which the news papers carried only state versions and statements of BJP leaders to the complete eclipse of opposition views in their papers”. He said while the opposition leaders with dubious credentials and anti India stance could be subjected to reasonable restrictions under law, the curtailment of freedoms of nationalist leaders was opposed to all democratic norms and constitutional guarantees enshrined in the constitution of the country.
