Signalling a divide in the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stayed away from meeting the Delimitation Commission on Tuesday. On the other hand, a five-member National Conference delegation met the commission and submitted a memorandum. Significantly, both the mainstream political parties from Kashmir targeted the approach of New Delhi while conducting the exercise of the Delimitation Commission.
However, both the PDP and the NC questioned the motive behind the Delimitation Commission.
Before announcing its decision, the PDP shot off a letter to the Delimitation Commission.
In the letter, PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura stated the PDP has decided not to meet the Jammu & Kashmir Delimitation Commission as the Centre did not initiate any steps to ease the lives of the people and the outcome of the delimitation exercise was “widely believed” to be “pre-planned”.
Interestingly, the NC too stuck to their stated position but the only difference was they attended the meeting and submitted their viewpoint in a democratic manner while recording their dissent.
The NC memorandum said, “In our view, the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, is palpably unconstitutional and was enacted in disregard and violation of mandate and the spirit of Constitution of India and therefore not to be acted upon. We have thrown a challenge to constitutional validity of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019”.
Hanjura too had reiterated in the letter the PDP’s stand that the constitutional changes with regard to Jammu & Kashmir in August 2019 were made “illegally” and “unconstitutionally”.
The Reorganization Act being a product of the same process, we are of the considered opinion that the Delimitation Commission lacks constitutional and legal mandate in the first place and its very existence and objectives have left every ordinary resident of J&K with many questions, he said.
Meanwhile, the National Conference memoranda stated, “despite our basic reservations on the issue, the commission has decided to go ahead with the delimitation process. While reiterating our stand and without prejudice to the submissions made above, we request you and other members of the Commission to carry out the delimitation exercise in a free, fair and transparent manner so that the unity and integrity of the state is safeguarded.
Delegations of the congress party, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, BJP, Panthers Party and others also called on the Delimitation Commission. The commission is scheduled to visit Pahalgam on Wednesday where they will be interacting with Deputy Commissioners of South Kashmir districts and representatives of different organisations.