Normalcy can’t be achieved with proxy rule, says J&K’s AAP leader

Ganderbal: Kashmiri Pandit government employees and their families protest against the killing of Chadoora Tehsil Office employee Rahul Bhat, in Ganderbal on Friday, May 13, 2022. (Photo: Nisar Malik /IANS)


Holding the BJP squarely responsible for the present crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, Harsh Dev Singh, former minister and senior AAP leader, on Saturday, said that the BJP’s imprudence and flawed policies have resulted in bloodshed and mayhem claiming innocent lives including that of security personnel.

Pointing out that terrorism had almost died down in J&K Union Territory during the popular governments, Singh alleged that it’s the “reckless experimentation” of the present rulers which has resulted in gradual deterioration of the security situation reminiscent of early 90s in the erstwhile state.

Accusing the BJP government of routinely deflecting the blame for every act of violence to Pakistan, Singh questioned the continued rule of the lotus (BJP symbol). “You can’t abdicate your responsibility by merely cursing Pakistan. It is your primary duty and constitutional obligation to protect the lives of the citizens on which count you have miserably failed,” Singh said in a message to the ruling dispensation.

Accusing the Central rule of treating J&K as a workshop for its weird experimentation during the few years, he said such a flawed approach of the Centre led to many a complication with the consequent all-round disenchantment prevailing in the new UT. He questioned the rationale behind the breaking of the oldest state and converting it into two UTs.

“Not only was the state demoted to the level of UT, but the people have been deprived of their right to have a democratically elected government for more than three years since the abrogation of Article 370. The Assembly having been suspended and consequently dissolved in 2018, the people are being subjected to proxy rule of the Centre.

Pointing to the growing alienation among the youth is being downplayed in utter disregard to rule of law, the AAP leader said the entire focus of the government is on BJP’s political expansion deliriously oblivious of the growing tensions and escalation of militancy in the UT.

At a time when killing of innocent has become a routine affair in J&K, he said the BJP leadership continued to harp on formation of government in J&K and winning 50 seats therein without uttering a word to save the erstwhile state from death and destruction.

It seems the BJP wants to keep the pot boiling in J&K so that it could exploit the situation as political firecracker in other states in pursuit of its vote bank politics, Harsh said, adding normalcy can never be attained as long as the Centre continued to rule J&K by proxy.