Questions Shah's ‘Kashmir normalcy' remark
Srinagar, Jan 22:
The mainstream politicians on Saturday castigated Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks for conducting assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir once the “situation becomes normal” in the erstwhile state.
Shah on Saturday said that the delimitation process in Jammu and Kashmir has started and soon elections will be held soon.
Congress
JKPCC President Ghulam Ahmad Mir has expressed surprise over the good governance claim in J&K, while terming it as hollow and misleading.
Mir said J&K has suffered immensely on every front, which is indicative of the unutilized allocation of developmental funds in J&K.
JKPCC President regretted that J&K has surrendered almost 50 % of the developmental funds, which could not be spent due to the delayed decision and wrong policies on account of the so-called development in J&K.
“Congress Party strongly contests the claims of good governance and understands that it was a tool to hide the failed policies and the losses caused to J&K post its downgrading,” JKPCC President said.
PDP
“After quite literally terrorizing people of J&K into silence to create a false normalcy narrative, GOIs admission that situation still isn't normal is self contradictory. Also proves that silence shouldn't be misconstrued as normalcy. (sic),” Mehbooba tweeted.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti reacting to Shah's statement said that the Government of India's admission about adverse situation in Kashmir is self-contradictory to their normalcy claim in the valley.
National Conference
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Saturday termed the release of ‘Good Governance Index' for 20 J&K districts as part of governments' efforts to hide its failures on creation of employment opportunities and bridging development deficit in Jammu and Kashmir adding that ‘good governance' in J&K is confined to papers only.
Party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the ground situation belies all the claims of administration. “All that is being claimed by the government in terms of transforming the region in terms of development, infrastructure augmentation and employment generation is nowhere to be seen by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to this day,” he said.
Peoples Conference
Peoples Conference (PC) chief Sajad Lone also hit out at Shah over his remarks, seeking definition of “normalcy”.
“But who will define normalcy. And in a federal structure— can we really use normalcy as an excuse to assume power. Irrespective of the definition of normalcy possibly coined by the union govt – every single stateless day is an affront to federalism and to the people of J & K (sic),” Lone said.
CPI (M)
CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said that releasing a good governance index is intended to help the government optics wise.
“One of the fundamentals of good governance is participation and representation, a right which continues to be denied to the people of J&K. Releasing such indexes is intended to help the government optics wise… (sic), Tarigami tweeted.
“However, the ground reality of dilapidated roads, erratic power supply, inaccessibility of portable water combined with huge unemployment, social unrest is reflecting a contrasting picture. (sic),” he said.
