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JAMMU & KASHMIR

Question mark over J&K civic polls the elections. against the special status guaran- hasn’t allayed the apprehensions

as to the fate of the law. New Delhi’s
“Linking Article 35A with the
teed to J&K under Article 370 and
looms large after NC boycotts, PDP polls has further vitiated the has always vociferously pitched silence about the issue has only
deepened these suspicions.
for its withdrawal to ensure J&K’s
atmosphere,” Mehbooba said. “They
“In such an environment if the
complete integration into Indian
(the state government and New
Delhi) told the court that it (Article
Union.
mainstream parties participate in
distances itself from elections 35A verdict) will have impact on However, over the past two the polls, we will be seen as facili-
situation in Kashmir. There are now years, the BJP has trained its gun
tating the scrapping of the Article
apprehensions in Valley that they
may be up to something on Arti- specifically on removal of Article 35A,” said a mainstream leader. “I
Supreme Court, the government
35A. For Sangh groups, it is Arti -
Political parties have threatened to boycott the Assembly and Panchayat elections will be held in cle 35A which may further vitiate cle 35A and not Article 370 which has sought the deferring of the
eight phases between November 8
atmosphere and that is why hearing comes in the way of settling Indians hearing on the Article to ensure
Parliamentary polls in case Centre doesn’t offer a solution on Article and December 4. has been deferred.” from other parts of the country in peaceful local polls in the state.
35A, reports RIYAZ WANI In the absence of the National This, in a sense, has signalled that it
Conference and the PDP which expects the court to deliver an
between them control more than adverse verdict on the issue. We
aising the stakes further that if the constitution is an aberra- two-third of the mainstream politi- don’t want that to happen”.
for New Delhi in Kash- tion, then this accession (of Jammu cal space in Valley and also wield a However, for the government
mir, J&K’s major main- and Kashmir to India) is also an significant political clout in Jammu the prospect of conducting polls
stream party National aberration”. and Ladakh regions, the local polls has somehow been shored up by
R Conference has decided On the other hand, the PDP are unlikely to be a success. What the decision of the All Jammu and
to boycott the upcoming Urban president Mehbooba Mufti has also is more, State Congress president Kashmir Panchayat Conference to
Local Bodies and Panchayat polls. threatened boycott unless New Del- Ghulam Ahamd Mir has expressed participate – albeit with a rider: “The
Similarly, the PDP has also distanced hi offers assurance on the protection doubts about the government’s se- elections should be held on non-
itself from the exercise — albeit of Article 35A. riousness about the conduct of polls party basis and have nothing to do
stopping short of announcing a “The present situation is not right and sought assessing of the ground with the politics.”
formal boycott. Both parties want for elections, and as long as govern- situation and taking on board of all “We have nothing to do with any
the centre to come clean on its stand ment does not clear position on 35A the political parties before going kind of politics in the state of Jammu
on Article 35A before they decide to and security issues, PDP will not take ahead with the exercise. and Kashmir. We are not an institu-
participate. part in the process. Final call will be However, the state and central tion like assembly to make laws. Our
National Conference has even taken after government clarifies on government has so far refused to role is only to monitor the develop-
threatened to boycott the Assembly the party’s fears,” the PDP said. engage the local parties nor offered ment activities in our respective
and parliamentary polls in case cen- The new Governor has already any assurance on Article 35A. In villages,” AJKPC chairman Shafiq
tre doesn’t offer an assurance that it announced the dates for the local the last hearing of the case on Mir said. Incidentally, Mir has also
won’t tinker with the constitutional polls. The municipal polls will be August 27, the Attorney Gen - criticized Abdullah’s decision to
provision that bars non-residents conducted in four phases and polling eral of India K K Venugopal and boycott the local elections. “The
from buying immovable property in will be held between October 1 and 5. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Panchayat and ULB elections are
Kashmir. Tushar Mehta, representing the restricted to ensuring peoples’ par-
“On one hand the centre wants In the absence Centre and Jammu and Kashmir ticipation at the grass-roots level.
to hold polls here. On the other, they government respectively told the It’s absurd to connect party politics
want to revoke Article 35A. Article of the National Supreme Court bench that the • Poll This has created a difficult situ- J&K. They believe that the only way to such elections”.
370 has been weakened and there Conference and the issue of Article 35A was “very polemics ation for the governments in the to resolve Kashmir issue is through State government has so far
are also attacks on the J&K Constitu- sensitive” and as such hearing be The new state and New Delhi which cannot a sweeping demographic change in silently watched the evolving sce-
tion,” National Conference president PDP which between held in January or March 2019 Jammu and make the polls appear credible if the state. nario, so has the central govern-
D Farooq Abdullah said. them control more keeping in mind the law and order Kashmir the major parties boycott it. At the And this is why the centre ment. The focus of the government
He also took exception to the aspect and the upcoming Urban Governor same time, they cannot offer an has refused to defend the law in right now is on formulating an
National Security Advisor Ajit than two-third of Local Bodies and Panchayat poll. The has already assurance on the Article 35A for Supreme Court. And under the elaborate security plan to ensure
Doval’s recent statement that a matter has now been deferred to announced the two important reasons: one, the Governor rule, J&K is perceived to that the contesting candidates are
separate constitution for J&K was an the mainstream January 2019. dates for the case is sub-judice and they obvi- have become similarly slow in its protected. But sooner or later, it
“aberration”. political space in Though the decision relaxed local polls ously can claim little influence in legal defence for the law. This has will have to respond to the objec-
“Their intentions are not right. the prevailing tense situation in how the court deal with it. And sec- made a majority of the people of the tions of National Conference and
They never were. The NSA has said Valley, the local the Valley it hasn’t put the fears to ond, the BJP cannot lend its voice to state paranoid about the protection the PDP to bring some credibility to
that a separate constitution for Jam- polls are unlikely rest. The PDP has expressed serious defending the constitutional provi- of Article 35A. the exercise.
mu and Kashmir is an aberration. reservation about the linkage sion for ideological reasons. Since True, the court has deferred the
I want to tell him from this stage to be a success drawn between the Article 35A and its founding the party has been hearing to January 2019, but this LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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