Oppn parties to meet EC for early polls in J&K, says Farooq

National Conference president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that leaders of various opposition parties in J&K will soon meet national leaders and the Election Commission in New Delhi to press for early assembly elections and restoration of statehood

National Conference president and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that leaders of various opposition parties in J&K will soon meet national leaders and the Election Commission in New Delhi to press for early assembly elections and restoration of statehood.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah (centre) with leaders of various political parties addressing the media at his residence in Jammu on Saturday. (PTI)

Abdullah chaired an all-party meeting at his Jammu residence to discuss various issues being confronted by the people of the region.

“Reducing Jammu and Kashmir from a full-fledged state to a union territory is a tragedy for the nation,” Abdullah told reporters after the meeting. He said the members discussed the prevailing situation in J&K and tried to explore ways to bail it out of the crisis.

Referring to Jammu Bandh against imposition of property tax, lathicharge on youths protesting against hiring of a ‘blacklisted’ agency by Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), and eviction drives, Abdullah said, “We decided that we will go to Delhi to meet national leaders and put forth the situation of J&K before them.”

“The PM and the home minister had on the top of their voices asserted that peace has returned to J&K, then why can’t elections be held here. There are SC guidelines that elections must be held within six months after completion of the tenure of the previous government,” he added.

On JKSSB row, he said, “A blacklisted company has been given the contract again. On one hand, the government says it has launched a crusade on corruption, but on the other, they hire a tainted agency. Why don’t they disband the company?”

Abdullah, while talking about property tax, said, “Right to impose property or any other tax lies with the assembly. The election commission should hold elections as soon as possible so that people can decide their fate themselves.”

Among those who attended the meeting were J&K Congress chief Vikar Rasool Wani, CPI (M) leader MY Tarigami, PDP leader Amrik Singh Reen, Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh, AAP leader and DDC member TS Tony. However, Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Azad Party was conspicuous by its absence.

Opposition can’t derail J&K’s tryst with peace, normalcy: BJP

Senior BJP leader and once a close confidante of Omar Abdullah, Devender Singh Rana, took a jibe at the all-party meeting which he said was convened by some “desperate opposition parties” in Jammu and dismissed it as “an assembly of rejected, dejected, confused and frustrated politicians”.

“The opposition cannot derail Jammu and Kashmir’s tryst with peace and normalcy,” he said.