The CPI (M-L), besides rights organisations including INSAF, CSD, Basti Surakshya Manch, Ganatantrika Adhikar Surakshya Sangathan and TUCI held a demonstration here at the Master Canteen Square on Wednesday protesting the intervention of the Centre in Jammu and Kashmir.
Dubbing the move to revoke Article 370 and 35 A of the constitution giving special privileges to the J and K as undemocratic, they demanded that instead of deployment of forces in the State, the people of the State be given the choice to decide on their fate.
They lambasted the Centre for hurriedly amending various Acts like RTI, Human Rights and seeking to amend Acts like the FRA, Labour etc in the ongoing Parliamentary session when there is large scale economic distress, unemployment and business slump in the country. They alleged that the Central Government’s intervention in J and K is to divert attention from the resentment of people.
They also apprehended that due to brute majority, the BJP –led NDA Government can veritably end the federalism and democracy in the country and steer it towards autocracy.
CPI (M-L) Red Star State secretary Sibaram, Narendra Mohanty, Manas Patnaik, RTI activist Biswapriya Kanungo, Debaranjan, Srimant Mohanty, revolutionary poet Lenin, Deba Prasad Ray and Pradip Sahu from Lohia Academy addressed.
Similarly, the Socialist United Centre Of India (Communist) in a statement condemned the J and K move of the Centre. SUCIC (C) general secretary Pravas Ghosh said the Kashmir problem arose due to the weak implementation of the Article 370 and the attempt to suppress the democratic rights of the locals by the long Congress regime at the Centre.
However, the scrapping of the Article now would surely trigger more violence and instability in the strife-torn State. Ghose demanded that Article 370 be re-implemented and the democratic rights of the people of the State be returned.