Kulgam: CPI(M) held a day-long convention at Rest House, Kulgam which was presided over by Mohamad Afzal Parry, District Secretary. The convention was attended by hundreds of workers.
While addressing the convention, CPI(M) leader and former MLA Kulgam Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami said that Jammu and Kashmir is going through extremely difficult situation. The district development council (DDC) elections were announced amid uncertainty and without any consultations with political parties. But nevertheless non-participation in DDC elections would have damaged the interests of common man.
“To vote or not to vote became a topic of discussion for several years in Kashmir. History and experience sufficiently demonstrates that neither voting nor the boycott changed the political course of Kashmir. However, the boycott of elections virtually leads to disempowerment of people which is the reason that the political parties in J&K decided to participate in these polls though announced abruptly,” he said.
He said that in the absence of any democratic structure in J&K for the last more than two years, people feel powerless and helpless as their basic issues and agonies are increasing day by day. There is a situation where bureaucracy, which is highly insensitive towards the common man’s sufferings, is running the show. This unfortunate situation virtually make people to run from pillar to post to get their issues settled, but without any response from those in authority.
“Despite the tall claims of the administration about development, ground situation is entirely different. There is no adequate electricity, ration stores in several areas are empty, welfare schemes are suffering because of inadequate funds, requirements to face Covid-19 pandemic are not sufficiently taken care of, projects already undertaken are virtually defunct and no new projects have been undertaken,” he said.
He said that on one hand the BJP government talks about ‘development’ and ‘redresal’, but on the other people are suffering as their lives have been made miserable. Only development in the region since last August is that police stations and jails are full. Draconian laws like UAPA and PSA are being used indiscriminately while harassment of common people at the hands of security agencies is a routine affair. There is also a perception that investigating agencies are being used by the BJP government for partisan purposes.
