The News Caravan

Tag: oppn

  • ‘Misuse’ of central probe agencies: SC to hear plea of 14 Oppn parties on April 5

    ‘Misuse’ of central probe agencies: SC to hear plea of 14 Oppn parties on April 5

    [ad_1]

    New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Wednesday a plea filed by 14 parties, led by the Congress, alleging arbitrary use of central probe agencies against opposition leaders and seeking guidelines for the future.

    According to the list of businesses uploaded on the apex court website, the plea of opposition parties would be heard on April 5 by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.

    Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala are also part of the bench.

    MS Education Academy

    The joint plea was mentioned for urgent hearing on March 24 by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi.

    “I am asking for the guidelines for the future. This is a remarkable convergence of 14 parties against the misuse of the agencies, both CBI and ED,” Singhvi had said and claimed that 95 percent of cases of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are against the leaders of opposition parties.

    The senior lawyer referred to the rise in the number of cases filed by the CBI and ED after the NDA government came to power in 2014.

    “Second statistics, pre-2014 and post-2014: there is a humongous jump in cases. The rate of conviction is four to five percent. We are asking for pre-arrest guidelines and post-arrest bail guidelines,” Singhvi had said.

    The plea alleged there is an alarming rise in the use of coercive criminal processes against opposition political leaders and other citizens exercising their fundamental right to dissent.

    “Investigating agencies such as CBI and ED are being increasingly deployed in a selective and targeted manner with a view to completely crush political dissent and upend the fundamental premises of a representative democracy,” a statement issued on behalf of a petitioner alleged.

    The plea filed through lawyer Shadan Farasat cited some statistics and said they demonstrated a “shocking and unconstitutional state of affairs”.

    Besides the Congress, the parties that are part of the joint move are the DMK, RJD, BRS, Trinamool Congress, AAP, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, JD(U), CPI(M), CPI, Samajwadi Party, and the J&K National Conference, the statement said.

    [ad_2]
    #Misuse #central #probe #agencies #hear #plea #Oppn #parties #April

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Israeli Prez urges immediate dialogue between PM, oppn over contentious judicial overhaul

    Israeli Prez urges immediate dialogue between PM, oppn over contentious judicial overhaul

    [ad_1]

    Jerusalem: Israeli President Isaac Herzog has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leaders to immediately engage in a dialogue, a day after the government suspended a contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary.

    Herzog’s office said in a statement on Tuesday that the first meeting with teams of representatives from the ruling coalition, Yair Lapid’s centrist party of Yesh Atid and Benny Gantz’s National Unity party will meet at the president’s residence in Jerusalem later in the day, reports Xinhua news agency.

    Herzog said he would work “in broad cooperation for the benefit of forging as broad agreements as possible, with the aim of rescuing Israel from the deep crisis.” He urged both coalition and opposition “to show responsibility” and agree to compromise.

    On Monday night, following a day of unprecedented strikes and protests that led to the shutdown of the airport and chaotic situations in some parts of the country, Netanyahu announced in a live televised address that he was suspending the legislation of the controversial plan until April 30.

    Netanyahu said he has decided to suspend the legislation in order to “allow time to try and reach a broad agreement” on the reforms.

    “In any case,” the legislation blitz will resume after the Knesset, or Parliament, reconvene after the Passover holiday break on April 30, he said.

    The overhaul, proposed by the ruling coalition and aimed at curbing judicial power, has divided the country for weeks, with tens of thousands taking to the streets in demonstrations and blocking major highways across Israel and rallying outside the Knesset in Jerusalem.

    On Monday, factories, banks, shopping malls and local authorities participated in the general strike and shut down services.

    [ad_2]
    #Israeli #Prez #urges #dialogue #oppn #contentious #judicial #overhaul

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Oppn MPs in black stage protest over Adani issue, Rahul’s disqualification

    Oppn MPs in black stage protest over Adani issue, Rahul’s disqualification

    [ad_1]


    New Delhi    : Wearing black clothes, several opposition MPs on Monday took out a march from parliament to Vijay Chowk to protest against the government over the Adani issue and Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

    The protesters, including Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, gathered near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Parliament complex and raised slogans against the government.

    Holding a huge “Satyamev Jayate” banner and placards with “save democracy” written on them, the MPs proceeded towards Vijay Chowk where they staged a sit-in.

    “How has Adani’s wealth multiplied so much in the last few years. When you are going to foreign countries how many times have you taken the industrialist with you. The PM has not been able to give answers to questions raised against Adani,” Kharge told reporters at Vijay Chowk.

    “We want a JPC on the Adani issue. Why is the government not agreeing to this? Why are you scared of a JPC probe… it means ‘dal mein kuchh kala hai’ (something is wrong),” he said.

    The opposition has been seeking a joint parliamentary committee probe into the allegations of corporate fraud and stock price manipulations against the Adani Group.

    Kharge also raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP after a Surat court convicted and sentenced him in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

    “You want to defame Rahul Gandhi that is why you transferred the case to Gujarat even as the comments were made in Kolar in Karnataka. Today is a black day for democracy,” Kharge said.

    Kharge said opposition MPs were dressed in black as the prime minister is “finishing” democracy.

    Trinamool Congress, which has so far stayed away from opposition protests, joined the sit-in on Monday.

    Earlier, MPs of various opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, BRS, and SP, met at the Parliament complex to discuss a strategy to take forward the Adani issue as well as Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification matter in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

    Dressed in black, opposition MPs stage protest over Adani issue, Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification(333 Words) Print PrintDOWNLOAD 13/27/2023 12:28:00 PM

    New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Wearing black clothes, several opposition MPs on Monday took out a march from parliament to Vijay Chowk to protest against the government over the Adani issue and Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

    The protesters, including Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, gathered near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Parliament complex and raised slogans against the government.

    Holding a huge “Satyamev Jayate” banner and placards with “save democracy” written on them, the MPs proceeded towards Vijay Chowk where they staged a sit-in.

    “How has Adani’s wealth multiplied so much in the last few years. When you are going to foreign countries how many times have you taken the industrialist with you. The PM has not been able to give answers to questions raised against Adani,” Kharge told reporters at Vijay Chowk.

    “We want a JPC on the Adani issue. Why is the government not agreeing to this? Why are you scared of a JPC probe… it means ‘dal mein kuchh kala hai’ (something is wrong),” he said.

    The opposition has been seeking a joint parliamentary committee probe into the allegations of corporate fraud and stock price manipulations against the Adani Group.

    Kharge also raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP after a Surat court convicted and sentenced him in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

    “You want to defame Rahul Gandhi that is why you transferred the case to Gujarat even as the comments were made in Kolar in Karnataka. Today is a black day for democracy,” Kharge said.

    Kharge said opposition MPs were dressed in black as the prime minister is “finishing” democracy.

    Trinamool Congress, which has so far stayed away from opposition protests, joined the sit-in on Monday.

    Earlier, MPs of various opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, BRS, and SP, met at the Parliament complex to discuss a strategy to take forward the Adani issue as well as Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification matter in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

    [ad_2]
    #Oppn #MPs #black #stage #protest #Adani #issue #Rahuls #disqualification

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Oppn dubs Yogi govt’s 1st yr of 2nd term as ‘Bulldozershahi’

    Oppn dubs Yogi govt’s 1st yr of 2nd term as ‘Bulldozershahi’

    [ad_1]

    Lucknow: The opposition SP and BSP criticised the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday for allegedly failing to deliver on promises made to people, saying it should give an account of the work done by it in the past six years instead of gloating over the completion of the first anniversary of its second term.

    Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav told reporters that the “double engine government” has presented seven budgets so far and it should give an account of all these years and not just one year.

    Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati too referred to “six years” of the BJP government and said it would have been better had the tall claims of the dispensation had ground reality.

    “Don’t count his one-year term. This is the seventh budget brought in UP. So they should give an account of these seven budgets,” said Yadav in a statement tweeted by SP.

    Yadav, the leader of opposition in the assembly, also said the BJP government at the Centre has presented 10 budgets and 10 and seven of UP together make it 17 budgets.

    “So BJP people should give an account of 17 budgets,” he said.

    He also asked why the government has not delivered on promises made for fulfilling basic facilities related to healthcare, jobs and river cleaning.

    In a series of tweets, the SP listed Adityanath’s promises and termed them “incomplete” after six years.

    “The promise of providing at least one employment or self-employment opportunity to every family is incomplete. The promise of free life insurance for all construction workers is incomplete,” it said.

    It also said that the promise of filling all departmental vacancies and building a metro rail network in Varanasi , Meerut, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Jhansi and Prayagraj were also incomplete.

    Mayawati alleged the government was making “tall claims” though expensive advertisements.

    “It would be better if the tall claims being made through expensive and costly propaganda about the completion of six years of the BJP’s double engine government in UP have ground reality. Because it is not so, there is less enthusiasm and more despair among crores of poor and backward people,” she said.

    In another tweet, the BSP chief said, “Whether it is a matter of development, employment, rule of law or one-district, one-medical college etc, the claims of ‘UP happy’ being made by the government are mostly on paper and in air. The government should pay attention to the real public interest and public welfare by abandoning political and casteist hatred and communal attitudes etc.”

    The CPI(ML) termed the first year of the second term of the Adityanath government “the year of bulldozershahi”.

    In a statement, CPI(ML) State Secretary Sudhakar Yadav termed the first year of the second term of the Adityanath government “the year of bulldozershahi” and claimed more development has happened on paper than in reality and figures have been juggled up to show investment in the state.

    Adityanath has become the state’s longest-serving chief minister in continuity.

    Speaking at an event to mark the first anniversary, Adityanath said people’s perception of Uttar Pradesh as a state of “mafia and gunda raj” has changed in the past six years and the state is registering growth in all sectors under the double-engine government.



    [ad_2]
    #Oppn #dubs #Yogi #govts #1st #2nd #term #Bulldozershahi

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • ‘Because he refuses to do a Savarkar..’: Rahul Gandhi gets Oppn solidarity

    ‘Because he refuses to do a Savarkar..’: Rahul Gandhi gets Oppn solidarity

    [ad_1]

    Leaders of several opposition parties on Friday spoke up in support of Rahul Gandhi post his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP due to his conviction in a criminal defamation case from 2019.

    TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee called Rahul’s disqualification a ‘new low’ to India’s constitutional democracy.

    “In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy,” she tweeted.

    PDP chief and Former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti remarked that the Government of India is ‘clearly rattled’ by the Wayanad MP for emerging as a ‘powerful challenger’ pre-2024 elections.

    “GOI is clearly rattled by RG for emerging as a powerful challenger pre-2024 elections. Since BJP can’t fight him politically, they are now subverting institutions because he refuses to do a Savarkar. The apprehensions he voiced in London are tragically being proven right,” she remarked.

    Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena (UBT) party, on Friday, dubbed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as “murder” of democracy and said this is the beginning of the end of “dictatorship”.

    In a statement, Thackeray said it has become a crime to call a thief a thief, while those “looting” the country are out.

    “This is the murder of democracy. All agencies are under pressure. This is the beginning of the end of the dictatorship…the battle only needs a direction (now),” Thackeray said.

    RJD MP Manoj Jha said that the BJP-led centre by doing this, has made Rahul Gandhi’s ‘democracy in danger’ remarks in the United Kingdom ‘true’.

    CPIML general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya highlighted the speed with which action was taken against Gandhi.

    “The sentence against @RahulGandhi in the alleged Modi defamation case was announced yesterday and within a day he is now disqualified from the Lok Sabha! Nothing short of a surgical strike on democracy! Time for the entire opposition to rally against this unbridled emergency!” he said.

    CPI leader Binoy Viswam asked where India was going as a democracy.

    “Where is our democracy heading to? For a speech made in Kolar, case in Surat, that too after how many years? Anybody of their dislike can be booked for whatever reason they decide! Today it is Rahul Gandhi, tomorrow it can be you or me. Time to unite in defence of democracy,” he said.

    BSP MP Danish MP termed Gandhi’s disqualification unfortunate, and said if MPs were to lose their membership on such matters of defamation, then 70 per cent of parliamentarians will lose their membership, most of them being from the BJP, he claimed.

    He alleged that many BJP leaders have linked Muslims to terrorism, while criticising the disqualification.

    “If such an issue becomes a yardstick to disqualify an MP, then filing defamation cases will become a means to strip lawmakers of their membership,” he said.

    A court in Surat sentenced Rahul Gandhi to 2 years in jail in a defamation case on Thursday, filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, “How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?”

    “Shri Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,” the Lok Sabha secretariat said in a notification issued on Friday.

    Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that the party will not be ‘intimidated’ or ‘silenced’ by the decision to disqualify the Wayanad MP.

    “We will fight this battle both legally and politically. We will not be intimidated or silenced. Instead of a JPC into the PM-linked Adani MahaMegaScam, @RahulGandhi stands disqualified. Indian Democracy Om Shanti,” Jairam Ramesh tweeted.



    [ad_2]
    #refuses #Savarkar. #Rahul #Gandhi #Oppn #solidarity

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • ‘Misuse of ED, CBI against Oppn’, SC to hear plea by 14 parties on April 5

    ‘Misuse of ED, CBI against Oppn’, SC to hear plea by 14 parties on April 5

    [ad_1]

    New Delhi: Fourteen political parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, AAP, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), on Friday moved the Supreme Court against the alleged misuse of investigative agencies in arresting opposition leaders and sought guidelines on arrest.

    The parties sought guidelines to fulfil and realise the guarantee of personal liberty entrenched in Article 21 of the Constitution, for all citizens, including those targeted for exercising their right to political dissent and for performing their duties as the political opposition.

    The political parties forming the petitioners are: Congress, DMK, RJD, BRS, Trinamool Congress, AAP, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, JD(U), CPI(M), CPI, Samajwadi Party, J&K National Conference, together representing 45.19 per cent of the votes cast in the last Assembly polls, and 42.5 per cent of the votes cast in the 2019 general elections, and holding power in 11 states/union territories.

    Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud for early hearing.

    The top court agreed to hear the matter on April 5.

    The counsel clarified that they are not attempting to affect the ongoing investigations.

    The plea said that 14 opposition political parties have filed a petition, in light of the alarming rise in the use of coercive criminal processes against their leaders and other citizens exercising their fundamental right to dissent and disagree with the central government.

    The plea submitted that investigating agencies such as CBI and ED are being increasingly deployed in a selective and targeted manner with a view to completely crush political dissent and upend the fundamental premises of a representative democracy.

    The petition has been drawn and filed by advocate Shadan Farasat and settled by Singhvi.

    According to the plea, only 23 convictions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) have been secured as of now, even as the number of cases registered by the ED under the PMLA have risen exponentially (from 209 in 2013-14 F.Y. to 981 in 2020-21, and 1,180 in 2021-22).

    “Between 2004-14, of the 72 political leaders investigated by the CBI, 43 (under 60 per cent) were from the Opposition of the time. Now, this same figure has risen to over 95 per cent. The same pattern is reflected in ED’s investigations as well, with the proportion of Opposition leaders from the total number of politicians investigated rising from 54 per cent (before 2014) to 95 per cent (after 2014),” it further added.

    The petitioners have sought from the apex court certain prospectively applicable guidelines governing the arrest, remand, and bail of persons in offences (which may or may not be punishable with imprisonment for above seven years) not involving serious bodily harm (thereby obviously excluding homicide, rape, terrorism etc.).

    “As for arrest and remand, the petitioners seek that the triple test (whether a person is a flight risk, or whether there is a reasonable apprehension of the tampering of evidence or of the influencing/intimidation of witnesses) be used by police officers/ED officials and courts alike for arrest of persons in any cognizable offences except those involving serious bodily violence. Where these conditions are not satisfied, alternatives like interrogation at fixed hours or at most house arrest be used to meet the demands of investigation.

    “As for bail, the petitioners seek that the principle of ‘bail as rule, jail as exception’ be followed by all courts throughout, especially in cases where non-violent offences are alleged, and that bail be denied only where the aforementioned triple-test is met,” the plea added.

    It further contended that where special laws such as PMLA with stringent bail conditions are concerned, the petitioners seek that such bail provisions be harmonised with Article 21 of the Constitution.

    “As such, therefore, where it appears that the trial is unlikely to complete within six months, the accused be released on bail even under special laws unless the conditions in the triple-test are not fulfilled.”

    [ad_2]
    #Misuse #CBI #Oppn #hear #plea #parties #April

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • AAP’s attempt to deceive, hide failure: Oppn parties on Delhi govt’s Outcome budget

    AAP’s attempt to deceive, hide failure: Oppn parties on Delhi govt’s Outcome budget

    [ad_1]

    New Delhi: Delhi BJP and the Congress on Monday termed the Delhi government’s Outcome Budget an “attempt to deceive” the people and “hide their failure”.

    Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged that a “white lie” has been presented in the name of Outcome Budget.

    “The AAP government has not not fulfilled its promise to provide 20 lakh jobs in Delhi, yet no action plan was presented for this. They (AAP) did not fulfil their promise to rejuvenate five markets of Delhi and generate employment,” Bidhuri said.

    He further alleged that the government “lied” about the pass percentage of class 10 and class 12 in its Outcome Budget.

    “The Delhi government had announced to bring 15,000 buses on the roads of the capital, but 250 electric buses were brought in a year. The marshals in the buses have been removed due to non-payment of salaries.

    “The Ashram flyover has been described as an achievement, while its work has not yet been completed, nor has it been fully operational,” he alleged.

    “The AAP government deceived the people of Delhi through its outcome budget,” Delhi BJP said.

    The Delhi Congress alleged that the AAP “wrongly presented the statistics to mislead people”.

    Party’s president Anil Chaudhary alleged the AAP government’s Delhi model of education and health care was a “mere stunt”.

    “The AAP government is misleading the public by presenting wrong statistics in their outcome budget. Such models do not exist at the ground level,” he alleged.

    “The Outcome Budget was a ploy to hide the failures of the AAP government,” Delhi Congress said.

    [ad_2]
    #AAPs #attempt #deceive #hide #failure #Oppn #parties #Delhi #govts #Outcome #budget

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • BRS, SP skip Oppn meet at Kharge’s chamber in Parliament premises

    BRS, SP skip Oppn meet at Kharge’s chamber in Parliament premises

    [ad_1]

    New Delhi: After a week-long bonhomie among the opposition parties, the BRS and the Samajwadi Party on Monday skipped the meeting at leader of opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber in Parliament House, but later both attended the joint press conference.

    Trinamool has already been maintaining a distance, while the AAP was present in the meeting.

    Apart from the Congress, the following parties attended the Monday meeting — DMK, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, NCP, JD(U), AAP, IUML, SS (Uddhav),JKNC, MDMK, RSP, Kerala Congress and JVCK.

    The Samajwadi party (SP), which was absent in the meeting, later addressed the joint press conference of the opposition MPs at the Vijay Chowk.

    The SP skipping the meeting following Akhilesh Yadav’s meeting with Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata is significant as it is trying to maintain distance with the Congress.

    Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav said, “BJP is scared that if JPC investigates, the nexus between Adani and the Central government would get exposed and the real culprit would come before the people. The public is angry because they think that they would lose their money.”

    Yadav added, “It is a strange situation when the government is not making a statement even when the public is perturbed. We are seeing for the first time that the government is not making any statement even when there is such a serious scam, let alone a probe. So, they definitely are guilty.”

    Earlier, Kharge earlier told the mediapersons that the Congress has asked for time tomorrow (Tuesday) for Rahul Gandhi to speak in the Lok Sabha.

    “If allowed, he (Rahul Gandhi) will speak in Parliament tomorrow,” Kharge said.

    Gandhi had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla last week, seeking time to speak in the House regarding his comments made in London earlier this month on democracy under attack in the country.

    [ad_2]
    #BRS #skip #Oppn #meet #Kharges #chamber #Parliament #premises

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Telangana govt not involved in TSPSC operations: Gangula to Oppn

    Telangana govt not involved in TSPSC operations: Gangula to Oppn

    [ad_1]

    Hyderabad: Telangana civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar slammed the opposition party for their remarks over the involvement of the state government in the TSPSC paper leak case.

    Telangana unit Congress chief A Revanth Reddy on Sunday alleged that the personal assistant of the state minister for IT KT Rama Rao has played a key role in the question paper leak case

    Condemning the statement, Kamalakar came down heavily on Revanth Reddy and said the Congress was casting aspersive charges against KTR’s personal assistant Tirupati as he belonged to a backward class.

    The minister while addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday claimed that the opposition parties were trying to defame the BRS government and urged people to turn a deaf ear to baseless allegations.

    “As a responsible government, they have already got three persons involved in the case arrested and appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct an in-depth investigation into the case,” asserted Gangula.

    Recalling such instances from the past when Congress ruled the state, he asked, “Did any BJP or Congress minister resign or were they sacked by the respective government?”

    He further recalled APPSC member Ripunjay Reddy was arrested in a similar paper leak case during the Rosaiah government’s regime in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and said, “Over the years, papers of many recruitment exams were leaked in many BJP and Congress-ruled States and aspirations of unemployed youth were shattered.”

    “However, K Rosaiah or the then IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah did not resign. In 2017 as well, the Hyderabad police arrested a woman over the UPPSC paper leak case. But neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the then IT minister has resigned,” he added.

    [ad_2]
    #Telangana #govt #involved #TSPSC #operations #Gangula #Oppn

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Abdullah-led delegation of Oppn leaders meets CEC

    Abdullah-led delegation of Oppn leaders meets CEC

    [ad_1]

    New Delhi: Veteran politician from Jammu and Kashmir and Lok Sabha member Farooq Abdullah led a delegation of leaders from Opposition parties to meet the Election Commission (EC) to press for early assembly polls in the Union Territory.

    Jammu and Kashmir is without a legislative assembly and an elected government for the last five years, the National Conference (NC) leader said after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar here.

    “The CEC heard us and has assured that the commission would soon hold a meeting to discuss the issue,” Abdullah said.

    The delegation informed the CEC and other members of the commission that the government has been claiming of restoring normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and that now the onus is on the EC (to hold assembly elections), he said.

    “So, we asked why was the commission not taking note of the plight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah, a three-time chief minister of the erstwhile state, said.

    In 2019, the Centre abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

    In a memorandum submitted to the poll panel, the leaders said “in disregard to the letter and spirit of the Constitution, an unrepresentative and unaccountable bureaucracy is allowed to run the government to the discomfort and inconvenience of the general public”.

    The memorandum signed by NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, AAP leader Sanjay Singh and others, said the EC is under the Constitutional obligation to hold assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

    The delegation said any further “delay in and denial of assembly elections would amount to denial of fundamental and democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and a breach of Constitutional obligations”.

    The panchayat elections and elections to other public representative institutions cannot be a substitute to legislative assembly elections and the government and for that matter, the EC cannot avoid and delay assembly elections on that ground, the delegation said in the memorandum.

    “Had it been so, there would be no need to conduct assembly elections in states, as the EC is with due dispatch and punctuality, as is evident from recently held assembly elections in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland and the elections scheduled to be held in Karnataka,” it said.

    The opposition leaders said in each case, the argument though, inherently specious, could have been that as panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) were in place there was no need to hold assembly elections.

    The Union home minister and other functionaries of the government of India have more than once stated that the government is ready to facilitate conduct of assembly elections and the final call is to be taken by the EC, the leaders claimed.

    They said the assembly elections would be the first and important step towards restoration of all the Constitutional rights guaranteed in the Constitution and fulfilment of political aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

    The leaders urged the CEC to announce assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir without any further delay and notify the election schedule so that the democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and access to democratic institutions is restored.

    [ad_2]
    #Abdullahled #delegation #Oppn #leaders #meets #CEC

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )