Handful freed but NC, PDP top brass remains under detention
Top brass of the two mainstream regional parties, National Conference and PDP continue to remain under detention in Kashmir Valley even as the Jammu & Kashmir Government late on Tuesday night ended political detentions of handful of Jammu-based leaders after 58 days with an aim to kick-start political activities ahead of Block Development Council polls beginning October 24.
The timing of the release of these leaders, representing different political parties, clearly indicated that the Government was keen on shoring up its own image by sending a clear message to the outside world that the democracy is
flourishing at the grassroots level and “all is well” in the State.
However, several released leaders have accused the Government of making the mockery of democracy by scheduling BDC polls at a time when every single top leader of mainstream political parties and their workers are in detention for nearly two months.
Ironically, these leaders were let off with a clear cut warning not to trigger any political storm by making irresponsible statements aimed at provoking public mood in the region.
Official sources said, “Leaders from the National Conference (NC), Congress and Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) in Jammu have been freed from their house arrest.” They were placed under preventive detention since August 5 after the abrogation of Article 370.
NC leaders Devender Singh Rana and SS Salathia, Congress’ Raman Bhalla and JKNPP leader Harshdev Singh along with others were put under house arrest in Jammu and were barred from attending political functions and visiting party offices.
Meanwhile, the released leaders visited their party offices in Jammu on Wednesday and held informal discussions on the occasion of paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.
Speaking to The Pioneer, former Congress MLC and party spokesman Ravinder Sharma said, “It is very unfortunate that the Government has decided to hold BDC polls without consulting leaders of mainstream Opposition parties in the State”. Sharma also accused BJP of trying to grab power at the grass roots level by holding these BDC polls on party lines.
He said, for the last two months BJP leaders were holding political functions and preparing for their BDC polls, but we were even prevented from holding regular press briefings in party offices.
“Majority of senior party leaders from Kashmir Valley continues to remain under detention and under these circumstances the Government is proceeding further to hold these BDC polls,” he said.
Senior National Conference leader and close aide of Omar Abdullah, Devender Singh Rana said he will first meet senior party leaders in Sher-r-Kashmir Bhawan on Thursday before interacting with the media.
PDP leader Daman Bhasin told The Pioneer, “The Government is making mockery of the whole election process by going ahead without releasing mainstream political leaders currently under detention.
At present Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, former Cabinet Ministers, J&K People’s Conference’s Sajjad Gani Lone and many others continue to remain under house arrest in Kashmir Valley.
Bhasin claimed, as per guidelines of the Election Commission of India, the State president of a regional party is authorised to give mandate to party candidates to fight elections. He said in the absence of party chiefs who will give mandate to party leaders to contest BDC polls in Jammu & Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers party leader Harsh Dev Singh said, “The credibility of BDC polls is under scanner.” He said, the situation is not conducive to hold polls in the State.
“If the Government had conducted Panchayat polls on non-party basis why they are now conducting polls on party lines in the State,” he asked, adding, more than 60 per cent seats could not be filled during Panchayat polls in the State and now the Government was bent upon holding BDC polls at this juncture by ignoring the prevailing security situation in the State.