Congress played role in Art 370 abrogation: Altaf Bukhari

Srinagar, Jul 24: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday accused the Congress party of playing a role in the revocation of Article 370, the stripping of J&K’s statehood, and its bifurcation into two Union Territories (UTs) on August 5, 2019. He also accused the elected J&K government of lacking the will to deliver effective governance to the people.Bukhari made these remarks while speaking to reporters after chairing the party’s provincial meeting in Jammu, a party statement issued here said, adding that the meeting aimed to review the current political scenario and discuss certain public issues and some important party matters.When asked about the Congress party’s vigorous demand for the restoration of statehood in J&K, Bukhari said, “It is good that the Congress party is now demanding statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. But one could ask: why were they complicit in the stripping of this statehood in the first place? The undeniable fact is that the Congress played a role in the abrogation of Article 370, the stripping of statehood, and the bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. All these changes could not have passed in the Rajya Sabha without the Congress party’s support.”“The Congress was complicit on August 5, 2019. If they did not want to oppose the revocation of Article 370, they should have at least stopped the stripping of statehood. They had the power to prevent the government from removing J&K’s statehood and dividing it into two Union Territories,” he added.Responding to questions about the performance of the government in Jammu and Kashmir, the Apni Party chief said the elected government lacks the will to deliver effective governance.He said, “Despite having more than 50 members in the Assembly, this government has failed to deliver—only because it lacks the will to provide effective governance to the people who voted for it.”Bukhari accused the ruling party of misleading the people with fake promises during the elections.He said earlier, the people of Jammu and Kashmir used to be polarised along regional lines during elections. “Unfortunately, this time, the BJP polarised them on a communal basis,” he said.Reiterating his demand for Urban Local Body (ULB) and Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Bukhari urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure that these polls are held.He said, “The ruling party does not want to share power with grassroots-level representatives—Panches and others—which is why it is avoiding these elections. I urge the Hon’ble Prime Minister to intervene and ensure that ULB and Panchayat polls are conducted, so that the people can be empowered through grassroots-level democracy.”Replying to a question, he said, “Apni Party will support anything that is in favour of the well-being of Kashmiri Pandits, because they have suffered a lot over the years.”