Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of the Congress, lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visit to Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. He claimed that the BJP government had suspended all tiers of democracy and refused to call fresh elections.
“Today, the PM heads to Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. In their attempt to retain power in the erstwhile state, the BJP government has now suspended almost all tiers of democracy, and refuses to hold fresh elections. PM Modi must answer for his suspension of democracy,” Ramesh wrote on ‘X’
The senior Congressman noted that since the BJP withdrew its backing from the Mehbooba Mufti government in 2018, Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government.
Ramesh mentioned on “The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been under direct rule of the Union Government ever since the BJP withdrew support to the Mehbooba Mufti government in 2018, citing a “deteriorating security situation”. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been left without an elected government since then,”. He also added “Four seats in the Rajya Sabha also remain vacant because of the delay in holding assembly polls,”
In response to the Supreme Court’s request that the Jammu and Kashmir elections be held by September 2024, Ramesh stated, “The Centre has often blamed the Election Commission of India for the delay in holding elections but now the Chief Election Commissioner has turned around and blamed the Centre for the delay after 2022’s delimitation exercise. Eventually, the Supreme Court had to step in and give the Centre a deadline of September 2024 to conduct the polls.”
Criticizing the BJP for delaying the state’s elections, the senior Congressman stated, “Why has the BJP waited so long to conduct polls in the state? Are they afraid of the verdict of the people? How long will the PM cling to power in a state where the people never chose him as their leader?”
Ramesh further said that after the terms of Panchayats and Block Development Councils ended on January 9, elections have not been held in the state.
“The terms of 4,892 Panchayats and 316 Block Development Councils (2nd and 3rd tiers of Panchayati Raj) came to an end on January 9. With the terms of urban local bodies having ended last November, the people of Jammu and Kashmir no longer have elected representatives on most levels of Government. Once again, the ruling BJP has been unwilling to hold fresh elections in the state. Why has PM Modi so ruthlessly suppressed the will of the people?” stated the leader of the Congress.
The Congress General Secretary questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah on his commitment to restore statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, criticizing him for not fulfilling it till it benefited the BJP.
In his words, ” His speech in Parliament on December 11, 2023, Home Minister Amit Shah said that full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be restored at an “appropriate time”. Like the assembly and panchayat polls, will this commitment also be delayed till the time is “appropriate” for the BJP?”
Ramesh added that just 414 units have been registered in spite of the new industrial policy’s declaration, and that actual investment on the ground is Rs 2,518 crores.
He continued to say, “The new industrial policy announced in January 2021, along with the abrogation of Article 370, was supposed to usher in “development and progress. However, to date, only 414 units have been registered and actual investment on the ground is just Rs 2,518 crores,”
Ramesh commented, “Although there was much optimism about the hospitality sector, only 87 crores of investment proposals have been received till date. Where is all of the “development and progress” that PM Modi had promised?”