Jammu, Feb 19: Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari Saturday rejected the draft report of the Delimitation Commission and sought the resignation of all five Members of Parliament from Jammu and Kashmir for their silence over the issue.
Addressing a news conference here, Bukhari said that they had failed to represent the sentiments and aspirations of the people of J&K.
“It shows that they represented their political parties, not the people,” he said.
The Apni Party chief said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should pay attention to the “voices of concern” over the Delimitation Commission’s draft proposal.
Bukhari called the Delimitation Commission’s draft report an imitation of the Dixon Plan aimed to divide people on the communal lines.
He rejected the report saying that it had deeply disappointed all sections of the society in both the regions of J&K.
Bukhari said that the Delimitation Commission did not do any ground exercise and implemented the plan without consulting the people and their representatives in different constituencies with a motive to divide people on the communal lines but people had not fallen prey to their plan.
“The merging of Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency with Rajouri and Poonch is an example of gross injustice with the people,” he said.
Referring to the illogical delimitation of the Karnah assembly segment, Bukhari said, “Will the voters use flying taxis to cast their votes in constituencies which were created ignoring the geographical difficulties and long distances? These areas often remain cut off for six months. How do the people of one area approach their representative? Is it possible?”
Condemning the merging of Suchetgarh constituency with R S Pura, he said that national security was compromised and the political ambition of a political party was preferred which was a cause of concern.
Bukhari said that it might be surprising but the fact was that the commission’s members while sitting in Pahalgam completed their report concerning 12 constituencies within a single day without doing any ground exercise.
He condemned the draft report of the Delimitation Commission calling it injustice with the vast majority in J&K.
Expressing concern over the treatment meted to the BSF and CISF aspirants and the unaddressed regularisation issues of 60,000 daily wagers, Bukhari said that the assurances made by the government should be fulfilled as soon as possible and the daily wagers deserved to be regularised.
“Ignoring the youth and pushing them to the wall creates a situation with them becoming drug addicts and getting motivated towards terrorism. The government should seriously address the growing unemployment issue,” he said.
Bukhari said that the local bureaucrats of J&K were not being given postings.
“If they are given postings, they would be able to address the issues of the people. However, the command to run the government departments is given in the hands of non-local bureaucrats,” he said.
Bukhari said that there was disappointment and frustration among the businessmen, locals, and unemployed youth and it might add to problems.