‘Air dropped bureaucrats cannot empathise with people’s suffering, their aspirations’

Srinagar: National Conference Members of Parliament Muhammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi on Friday said that the absence of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir is feeding alienation and institutionalising bureaucracy in the region.
“The situation with regards to democracy in J&K stands incoherent with regard to the remarks made by PM Modi during the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Bihar Legislative Assembly in Patna. There is disquieting evidence everywhere in Jammu and Kashmir on the backsliding of democracy in Kashmir,” the two MPs said.
“J&K was missing out on evolving democratic discourse referred to by PM Modi who has rightly said that in a democracy, legislative bodies have the role of echoing the wishes and aspirations of people. It was the same legislature that spearheaded the flight of J&K from feudalism to democracy. It was the same legislature that passed the legislations like land to tiller and abolished the feudal system. It was the same institution that had protected the pluralistic visage of Jammu and Kashmir and protected the cultural, linguistic, electoral, employment and land rights of the people of J&K. Having such a historic citadel disposed of is unthinkable,” they said.
They added that the people of J&K have been illegitimately deprived of their rights and an alien bureaucracy imposed on them. “Air dropped and unrelated bureaucrats cannot be the substitute for a legitimate elected government. It is only the people’s government that can take on the existing challenges in the state. A remote controlled system cannot empathise with people’s suffering, their aspirations. Denying 1.20 crore people their democratic rights is violative of the country’s democratic setup and federalism,” they said, demanding a course correction in the ruling party’s JK-centric policy.

Reader correspondent