SRINAGAR: As Jammu and Kashmir completed five years under the central rule on Monday, the Kashmir political class took a dig at the center for keeping the UT of Jammu and Kashmir without an elected government for too long.
Taking to the microblogging site Twitter, Omar Abdullah said, “Democracy is in our veins, it is in our culture’; ‘India is the mother of democracy’; ‘India is the temple of democracy’. Great sounding words that the international community lap up & regurgitate ad-nauseam. Meanwhile, J&K completes 5 years under central rule today. Democracy ends where J&K begins,” he tweeted.
PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan said the entire nation and its leadership should hang its head in shame.
“Entire nation & its leadership must hang their heads in shame for calling itself ‘Mother Of Democracy’. J&K languishes under central rule for a staggering 5 year, with the last election held 9 years ago. The blatant disregard for people’s rights & representation is appalling,” he said in a tweet.
The state’s last assembly elections were held in 2014, resulting in a fragmented mandate. Subsequently, the People’s Democratic Party, led by Mehbooba Mufti, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed an alliance based on a common minimum agenda. However, the alliance crumbled on June 19, 2018, when the BJP withdrew its support from the PDP-led coalition.
In August 2019, the central government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status under Article 370 of the Constitution and downgraded it from statehood to a Union Territory. Since then, no assembly elections have taken place in the newly formed Union Territory. Elected governments in Union Territories possess limited powers, with ultimate authority resting in the hands of the Central government.
