Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) on Monday said that the Government of India was sabotaging the participation of parties other than BJP in the District Development Council (DDC) elections in J&K.
Condemning what it called as the vindictive actions of government machinery in stopping candidates of the PAGD (People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration) from campaigning in the name of security, the NC said that this “malicious and purposive discrimination” was meant to help the BJP and its proxies.
Party Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that the denying of a level playing field by confining PAGD candidates to hotels and security zones suggests that New Delhi is up to some mischief.
“It is very evident from the fact that BJP and its ilk are given security cover and accorded facilities to campaign by the authorities; while as others far from being provided necessary security and other facilities are being locked up in security zones and hotels. Anyone who is not associated with BJP and its allies is spitefully dumped in hotels. It is clear that they don’t want us to campaign. The excuse that is being put forth by the government is that they cannot provide security to all. By that analogy none of the contesting candidates should be provided any. Why are the non-BJP candidates being made to suffer on many accounts?” Dar asked.
He said that the BJP’s recent claims of sweeping the DDC polls should not be seen in isolation. “In spite of being accorded all required facilities, there is hardly any presence of BJP leaders and candidates on ground. And here we have the BJP leadership making tall claims on winning the elections. The only way they can achieve that end is by sabotaging the entire democratic process, which they have made a mockery of by caging all non-BJP candidates and impeding their public outreach using all sorts of tactics,” he said.
The situation in the upcoming elections to four SMC wards is no different, Dar said. “The BJP is also trying to play truant in SMC elections by giving a ditch to the constitutional rules and statutes. They want to endure an unstable, dysfunctional SMC,” he said, adding, “The voter slips issued to the voters in two wards of Soura and Rawalpora mentions the election date as 01 Dec whereas the election date for the two wards is slated for 28 November. Why is this confusion and chaos being created?”

KR Desk