‘BDC polls being held to give BJP a walkover

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who was recently released from house arrest by the government, says the Congress Working Committee’s stand on the abrogation of Article 370 is valid and individual opinion does not hold any value. In an interview with Mir Ehsan, Ghulam Ahmad Mir talked about the reason why the Congress decided to boycott the Block Development Council (BDC) polls and blamed the government for giving a walkover to the BJP in the polls. Edited excerpts:

The Congress had participated in the panchayat polls despite regional parties including the NC and PDP staying away from it in 2018.Why did the party boycott the BDC elections?

There are many reasons for staying away from these polls. The Centre’s decision to destroy the state by carving UT’s out of it has generated anger against the August 5 decision (abrogation of Article 370) which is still visible on the ground as 80% people in the state are angry over it. Schools are closed, trade is shut and there is a communication lockdown. The leadership of all mainstream political parties, especially the Congress are under detention. When the government decided to hold second tier panchayat elections, we had requested them to defer them till there is a conducive political atmosphere on ground. We had also requested for the release of our leaders but the government rejected it, leaving no option for us but to boycott these polls. Almost 80% of our leaders are still in custody. I was under house arrest for 55 days. Even after getting released, I am not allowed to move out of Jammu to carry out political activities.

Opposition parties have been claiming that the Centre is helping the BJP to win the BDC polls. Can you justify it.

It is true. These elections are being held to give a walkover to the BJP in J&K. It is only the BJP, which has been facilitated by the government in the past two months. The administration is facilitating them for taking part not only in government programs but also party functions. On the other hand, opposition leaders who were released are not allowed to move freely and the security of many leaders has been withdrawn.

Do you think these BDC polls will be held in a free manner?

I don’t think so. Only the government is saying that the situation is normal. Everybody knows that nothing is normal in the Valley. It has been more than 70 days and there is still a complete lockdown. Not a single student has attended school even after the government opened educational institutions. If these elections were deferred then we would have definitely participated in the polls and there would have been more involvement of people, panches and sarpanches. Elections mean open selection and not forcing people to fill forms through police officials.

Why is the government in a hurry to hold BDC polls if the situation is not normal?

The problem is that the government wants to conduct the polls before October 31, when Jammu and Kashmir will cease to be a state. Once J&K is a UT, the government cannot hold these polls under the present rules. It is the duplicity of this government. They choose state laws which favour them and abolish those which don’t. Once J&K is UT, they have to create a new electoral college with a new performa, which would have taken more than six months.

What is the future course for the Congress after abrogation of Article 370 and turning J&K into UT’s?

The Centre’s decision to abrogate the state’s special status was undemocratic and unconstitutional. It has never happened before that a historic state with separate identity and culture was changed into a UT. J&K had a distinguished identity when India, Pakistan and Bangladesh was one country. This decision will never be acceptable to the people of J&K. We will fight against the decision by resorting to peaceful and constitutional means. The government has been saying that these polls will

pave way for a new leadership in J&K?

They (government) are fooling people. We are not against emergence of a new leadership. The 73rd amendment was brought by the Congress government to encourage grassroot-level workers.

Many Congress leaders including top leaders of the party favour abrogation of Article 370, how do you view that?

Only people who don’t know about the historical background of J&K can support the decision. There is not a single Congress leader from J&K who spoke in favour of it. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has taken a firm stand on this issue and passed a resolution on Article 379 that is valid. Individual opinions hold no value.

Three former chief ministers are under detention. How do you see it for the future of mainstream politics in the state?

If the BJP says everything is normal then why three former CM’s are under detention. Why the Public Safety Act (PSA) was slapped on one of the senior most politicians in the country–Farooq Abdullah. This is a proof that everything is not normal in J&K. Dozens of former ministers, legislators across political spectrum are in jail. If there is normalcy, why are they not allowed to move.

There are reports of torture from different areas in south Kashmir. How far is that correct?

There are lot of reports like that. However, due to the communication blockade we don’t have any means to verify them. But people have been threatened that if they speak against the government and its policies they will be booked under the PSA and sent outside the state.