Death anniversary of constitutionality, democracy, people’s rights: PDP on J&K completing 5 years without elected govt

Srinagar, Jun 20 (PTI) It is the fifth “death anniversary” of constitutionality, democracy and peoples’ rights, the PDP said on Tuesday as Jammu and Kashmir completed five years without an elected government.

The party also accused the BJP-led Centre of “muzzling” people and keeping them “devoid” of their political, democratic and constitutional rights in these five years.

“We remember this as the fifth death anniversary of constitutionality, democracy and peoples’ rights in Jammu and Kashmir. Five years ago, they (Centre) murdered democracy, morality, ethics and constitutionality in Jammu and Kashmir,” Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari told PTI here.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti resigned from the chief minister’s post on June 19, 2018 after alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support to her coalition government. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government.

Bukhari alleged that the Centre “muzzled” people and kept them “devoid” of their political, democratic and constitutional rights in these five years.

“They have tarnished the very ethos of this country, which is its Constitution. If you look at the issues of governance, they have been a miserable failure in terms of basics like electricity, water and what not,” he said.

The PDP leader said corruption is at its “peak” in Jammu and Kashmir.

“It is not me who is saying it, the five processes that the JKSSB (Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board) initiated, all ended up as scams and are subjects of judicial proceedings. We have now become number three in unemployment, according to the data of the CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy),” he added.

Bukhari alleged that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are being “harassed” and that they cannot express themselves.

“Such is the state and these are the so-called achievements of this dispensation. They are cowards, because it is the insecurities that need them to do all this. They get sadistic pleasure in muzzling the people of Jammu and Kashmir, keeping them away from their constitutional and political rights,” he said.

The PDP leader said constitutionality, democracy and peoples’ rights end right at the point where the territorial jurisdiction of Jammu and Kashmir starts.

“But we are resolute that we will continue representing the aspirations and be the spokespersons of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, express their sentiments and how they feel about this situation. Just because people are not taking to the streets out of fear, as there is a massive crackdown and dissent has been criminalised, it does not necessarily mean that they do not have anything to say,” he said.

The PDP will continue to politically, democratically and constitutionally “fight” for the dignity, identity and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari asserted.