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Panther leaders being threatened to desist from seeking delimitation: Harsh

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 1/21/2020 11:42:32 AM

Jammu, Jan 20 Accusing the BJP govt of criminal silence post reorganization over the issues of Delimitation and Assembly Elections in the state, a strong contingent of NPP activists led by Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP and Yash Paul Kundal State President Young Panthers held a massive protest demonstration at exhibition ground Jammu today. The agitated protestors raised slogans of “Parisiman Aayog ka gathan Karo, gathan karo”, “Jammu ki seats mein izafa karo, izafa karo”, “Jammu ke logon ko dhokha dena bandh karo, bandh karo”, “BJP Hai Hai” and sought a official statement from the BJP govt over the said issues. Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Dev Singh said that Delimitation of Assembly constituencies in J&K has been repeatedly assured by the state as well central BJP leadership and had even been incorporated by the saffron party in its election manifesto released during 2014 elections. While it took no initiative during its 3 ½ year rule in J&K over the subject, it tried to pacify the people by its persistent rhetoric that post re-organization era would witness priority Delimitation of Assembly seats in J&K with a higher number of such seats for Jammu region in the new set up. It was given to understand that immediate steps would be taken upon conversion of state into UT for Delimiting the Assembly constituencies, increase in the number of seats, rotation of reserved seats, reservation of STs etc which will be followed by early elections in the newly created UT. He regretted that despite lapse of five and half months, the govt had failed to even come out with any proposed for Delimitation exercise and further maintained a studied, intriguing silence over the issue of holding elections in the new UT. Calling upon the central visiting Ministers to come out with an authentic official stand of the centre over the said issues, Singh said that incongruous and divergent statements made by their party leadership over these subjects had only made the confusion worse confounded besides evoking cynicism amongst the masses. He said that rather than making any announcement over the subject the BJP leadership was issuing veiled threats to NPP leaders to desist from seeking Delimitation of Assembly constituencies. He said that central leadership and a Union Minister were issuing threats publically to reserve the Assembly constituencies of those NPP leaders who dared raise their voice in favour of Delimitation. Seeking early elections in J&K, Singh said that repeated postponement of polls only amounted to subversion of constitution and defiance of rulings of the Supreme Court. The constitution in very unambiguous terms provided that people could not be deprived for long of their right to have a legitimate, democratically elected govt without a justifiable reason. He pointed out that even the Supreme Court in a plethora of Judgements has ruled that election process should be completed within a period of six months for all those states wherein Legislative Assemblies were prematurely dissolved. He said that by continuing its proxy rule in J&K through its trusted lieutenants, the centre was not only denying the people their fundamental rights and guarantees but also defying the very constitution which it was claiming to have extended to J&K. Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Partap, Parshotam Parihar, Khajoor Singh, Paramjit Marshal, Surinder Chouhan, Kunwar Bali, Nirmal Kishore, Capt. Sultan Singh, Yashpaul Sharma, Ravinder Jamwal, Bachan Dass, Dev Raj, Shankaar Sanju.