Srinagar: Two senior leaders of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Saturday alleged that their candidates were not being allowed to campaign even after Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, while responding to a letter of PAGD member Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami of CPIM, said that he will ensure a level playing field for all the candidates in these local elections.
Dr Farooq Abdullah has written to the Election Commissioner, K.K. Sharma, saying that the administration was indulging in gross “interference in democracy”.
He said in the letter that candidates of PAGD are being taken away to secure locations in the name of security by the J&K administration and they are not being allowed to come out in the name of security, while candidates of BJP and allied parties are allowed to campaign with security.
“They are not allowed to canvas, they are completely out of touch with those from whom they are supposed to seek votes,” the letter reads.
“(But) the current state of affairs in the realm of security is blatantly oriented towards providing security to a select few and confining others. This comes across more as an attempt to interfere in the democratic process than any real concern for the well being of the contestants,” the letter of Farooq Abdullah further says.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday accused the BJP government at the Centre of sabotaging the participation of non-BJP candidates in the coming District Development Council (DDC) polls.
“The Government of India is sabotaging the participation of non-BJP parties in the DDC polls. PDP’s Bashir Ahmed, despite having adequate security, has been detained at Pahalgam on the pretext of security. Today is the last day for filing nominations & have spoken to DC Anantnag for his release @manojsinha_,” the PDP chief said on Twitter.
PAGD has alleged that the Central government, especially the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, is ensuring that only the BJP candidates are allowed to campaign in Kashmir valley and described this entire exercise as a farce in the name of democracy.