SRINAGAR
Many regional Opposition parties will hold a joint peaceful protest on 10 October in Jammu city, the winter capital of J&K, against the alleged suppression of voices and suspension of constitutional rights of common people here.
Recently, the Opposition parties held a meeting in Jammu and decided to hold a joint protest against the delay of Assembly elections and what they described as trampling of the constitutional rights of common people here.
Farooq Abdullah also reacted to the arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh and cautioned that the BJP shouldn’t suppress voices of dissent, including those of media, and cautioned that it will haunt them when they are out of power.
Abdullah said that the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration which he heads will hold peaceful protests and will try to get the democratic rights of common people back. He said that this alliance will continue to fight peacefully for the restoration of Article 370 and statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah questioned the utterances of the BJP government that there is complete normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and wondered why they are not holding Assembly elections if there is complete peace and normalcy.
Farooq Abdullah has been quoted in the media as saying that Jammu and Kashmir is without an elected Assembly and all the claims of BJP about normalcy are false. He said that BJP has a shrinking base in the Jammu region and “they are now trying to delay even the panchayat and ULB elections”. He said the BJP is shying away from the elections as they have no bones to face people because they will punish them by their votes.
Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who is part of Gupkar Alliance, said that all those people, including media outlets, who speak the truth and talk about the growing problems are targeted and raided. “They slap UAPA against those who speak the truth. They would do that in Kashmir and now they are doing it in other places as well. All the parties present here condemn the raids carried out against journalists in New Delhi,” said Mehbooba.
J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina, while reacting to the decision of regional political parties to hold peaceful protests on 10 October, claimed that they have come together as part of a conspiracy to stop the peaceful march of development in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that everyone knows the levels of violence when the Abdullahs and Muftis were in power and now they cannot tolerate the phenomenal development and tourism footfall in Jammu and Kashmir.