Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Nov 19
Re-iterating the demand for dissolution of JK Assembly, a large contingent of JKNPP workers led by Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and Former Minister held a massive protest demonstration at Press Club in Jammu today. The protestors raised slogans against central govt and urged upon the President of India to intervene for upholding the constitution and rule of law.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that disrespect by successive regimes for the constitution and rule of law was the primary reason for growing alienation and deterioration in security scenario in the state. He said that incumbent govts in the state have all along given precedence to their political interests over the established norms and procedures.
The defiance of law by the rulers for personal and political advantage had adversely impacted upon all peace initiatives taken in the past, observed Singh while challenging the prolonged suspension of the Assembly in the state.
With the erstwhile govt having collapsed on 19th June, the JK Assembly had completed five months in suspended animation today with no action being initiated to ensure its dissolution which was violation of the spirit of the constitution and SOPs, maintained the NPP Chairman. “It is unprecedented, bizarre and anomalous.
This is blatant defiance of constitution. Suspension of Assembly was supposed to be a transitory period under the constitution in which the Governor has to decide its fate and its unlawful prolongation was violation of law besides prevalent practices and precedents. If no political party or combination of parties was in a position to form the govt, the only option was to dissolve the Assembly so as to prevent defections, horse trading and unfair means in the formation of the govt. In view of all major political parties including the BJP having conveyed their inability to form the popular government in the State due to lack of numerical strength, why the Assembly has been kept under suspension for such a long time? Save the State from fascist rule being run by the GoI in the interest of democracy”, Harsh maintained. Asserting that constitution and democracy were held hostage in J&K by vested political interests, he reckoned that in the prevailing scenario the unlawful grant of all perks, amenities, emoluments and CDF to members of suspended Assembly whose rights and privileges stood suspended during the period was no less than a loot and plunder of public money which needed to be curbed immediately.
Accusing the BJP led govt at the centre of resorting to coercion to keep the JK Assembly in suspension, Mr. Singh said that all its slogans of accountability and good governance had proved a sham. The BJP had once again proved that it could sacrifice all its professed slogans and pious promises at the altar of power politicise, rued Singh. He said that the way the BJP was using the constitutional authorities for furtherance of its political motives was most deplorable and highly unacceptable.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Rajiv Mahajan, K.K Sharma, Ch. Surinder Chouhan, Shankaar Singh Sanju, Rashpaul Singh, Udhayveer Singh, Rohit Sharma, Rakesh Verma, Joginder Singh, Ajay Sharma, Jeevan Sharma besides others.
