Farooq Abdullah pushes for early polls in Jammu and Kashmir
Farooq Abdullah said the administration run by lieutenant governor and a few advisors was not enough for the development of the region
National Conference president and parliamentarian Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said Jammu and Kashmir was suffering for the want of elections and stressed that they were mulling an alliance to push out those dividing the people.
Abdullah said the administration run by lieutenant governor (LG) and a few advisors was not enough for the development of the region.
“Regions are governed by members of legislative assembly (MLA), who look after the needs of their constituencies. Bureaucrats do not care about these things as they have to retire after 60 years while MLAs have to face people again after five years. If they don’t work, people won’t vote for them. That is why it is necessary that elections are held here. Not holding elections causes huge loss to Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah said, while talking to the media during a visit to a sports ground in Srinagar.
“Jammu and Kashmir is suffering in the absence of elections. Democracy is possible only when there is an elected government. An LG and few advisors can’t look after the whole region,” he said.
Responding to LG Manoj Sinha’s statement that nobody will be allowed to “hijack democracy in J&K as seen in the past”, Abdullah responded, “If democracy gets hijacked, aren’t there ways to approach courts or election commission”.
The NC president said they were thinking of an alliance with other parties. “We, together, have to throw out the party from here, which follows hatred and divides people on the basis of religion. It is necessary to pull them down,” he said.
Abdullah said that holding the G20 meeting in Srinagar has helped in face-lifting the city areas, but tourism will be boosted when the situation improves in the region.
“The biggest benefit of the G20 meeting in Srinagar was that the roads ignored for long were macadamized. There has been face-lifting of the area like painting of walls and installation of street lights. That we benefitted,” he said.
“Will it benefit us by increasing tourism? That won’t happen till the situation improves here. And the situation won’t improve here till the two big countries arrive at a decision - how the future of this state can be made through dialogue,” he said.
