Willing to take part in rural polls, but leaders under detention: NC

In his letter, NC general secretary Rattan Lal Gupta said that his party is a strong supporter of the democratic process and wishes to participate in the eight-phase elections beginning March 5 in over 12,500 seats — the first exercise involving common voters after J&K became a Union Territory.

The National Conference (NC) is willing to participate in the panchayat by-elections in Jammu and Kashmir next month, but that is practically impossible because its top leaders have been detained, the party has written to chief electoral officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar.

The NC, which boycotted the local polls in 2018, also urged J&K CEO Kumar to suggest ways to remove roadblocks, stressing that a political system should be developed to ensure that democratic institutions become “credible reflectors” of people’s aspirations.

In his letter, NC general secretary Rattan Lal Gupta said that his party is a strong supporter of the democratic process and wishes to participate in the eight-phase elections beginning March 5 in over 12,500 seats — the first exercise involving common voters after J&K became a Union Territory.

“However, in the given circumstances...it is practically impossible for the party to participate in view of the fact that top leadership of the party, including its president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, vice president Omar Abdullah and general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, are under detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA),” reads part of the letter addressed to Kumar. HT has seen a copy of the letter.

Abdullah and his son Omar— both former chief ministers — and Sagar were detained under the stringent PSA earlier this month. They were taken into preventive custody on August 5, the day the Centre nullified Article 370, withdrew the special status accorded to the erstwhile state and bifurcated it into two Union Territories — J&K and Ladakh.

“If the aim is to create conditions to exclude all other parties except the BJP [Centre’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party], then nothing more needs to be said, but if the aim is to create a genuine culture of grassroots democracy, then the process adopted is a deeply flawed one,” Gupta wrote, reiterating the NC’s commitment to grass-roots level.

“...for a genuine political exercise to happen, it is important that the mainstream political thought, which is a unifying force, is allowed to freely propagate and demonstrate its ideology,” he said, adding that his party will “appreciate an early response” to the letter.

The NC as well as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boycotted the panchayat elections held in November-December 2018 due to concerns over J&K’s special status. They abstained from the Block Development Council (BDC) elections held in October 2019.

Several mainstream leaders, including those of the NC and the PDP, and political workers are still under detention, with the Opposition criticising the central government for their confinement.

In the panchayat by-elections, people will cast their votes to elect sarpanches and panches. In the BDC elections, elected sarpanches and panches chose chairpersons to block development councils.

In his letter, Gupta questioned as to why the upcoming elections to fill up vacant seats are being held on party lines unlike the 2018 polls, which were fought on non-party lines.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said that the NC’s stand was similar to that of his party. “We have already said that release our rank and file if the government is really serious to conduct panchayat by-elections. This is a sham exercise, a joke,” he said. Mir clarified that even if the Congress’s J&K leaders are not released, the party will contest the panchayat by-elections.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina requested parties to take part in the polling. “We welcome that the NC has decided to participate, and I hope the Congress will also take part. And so will the PDP,” he said.

Asked about the detention of Opposition leaders, Raina said: “It is a security-related matter and the administration has to decide... When security agencies feel that their release won’t hamper peace, they would be released. Otherwise they won’t be.”