The Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti Friday termed the union cabinet’s decision on extension of constitutional amendments to Jammu and Kashmir as a “dangerous trend being set by the central government”.
In a statement, Mehbooba said the PDP will not allow “suchconstitutional vandalism to take place”.
“Our party is not against reservations in promotions as itwas done by late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in 2004-2005 but got held up in courts,”Mehboba said, adding that the PDP doesn’t oppose the idea of reservation “butthe method the governor’s administration has adopted is very dangerous and aclear subversion of letter and spirit of law”.
“It is the president who is right now ruling the state andhis own representative cannot take the role of the state cabinet in the matterof making constitutional changes. This is a fraud on the constitution and onthe people of the state,” the statement said, quoting Mehbooba.
She said the PDP will not allow this “constitutionalvandalism to deprive the state of the last remnants of autonomy andconstitutional guarantees”.
“The BJP government at the Centre has set the alarms ringingfor the entire country. It was the unfortunate incident of violence in Jammuand Kashmir which brought the sub-continent to the threshold of a destructivewar. You are further pushing the people of Jammu and Kashmir into a cornerwhile their constitutional rights, guaranteed by the constitution of India, arebeing trampled. The government of India must put on hold any such plans that itmight still be having,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, former finance minister and senior NationalConference leader Abdur Rahim Rather Friday strongly reacted to the decisiontaken by the union cabinet on 28 February 2019 regarding amendment to theconstitution (application to Jammu and Kashmir) order,1954 by way of theconstitution (application to Jammu and Kashmir) amendment order, 2019.
Calling the decision “sans jurisdiction”, Rather said in astatement that “it was a dangerous and blatant violation of Article 370 of theconstitution”.
“We are not against the interests of the section ofpopulation sought to be benefitted through this amendment but the methodadopted to achieve this goal is objectionable, unacceptable,” he said.”Uniquely, Jammu and Kashmir is the only state to have negotiated the terms ofits membership of the Union”.
Rather said that autonomy has remained, since the days of accession,”the heartbeat of the people of state”.
“Today we find the state has lost all semblance to autonomy.Its erosion is the primary cause for Kashmir discontent,” Rather added.