Srinagar, Sep 20: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday described the BJP as “our biggest enemy”, accusing it of having destroyed Jammu and Kashmir, ended its statehood and taken away Articles 370 and 35A.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a party function at Parraypora in Srinagar, Bukhari said the BJP had no moral ground to hold public darbars in Jammu and Kashmir after what he alleged was the erosion of the region’s rights.
“Our biggest enemy is the BJP. They have destroyed us. They have ended our statehood. They have taken Article 370 away from us. They have taken Article 35A away from us,” Bukhari said.
“With what face do they come here and hold public darbars?” he asked, questioning those who attend such programmes as well.
Bukhari also raised questions over the recently issued selection list of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officers, claiming that only six candidates from Kashmir had been selected.
“You must have seen the case list. Look at how many people from Kashmir are in it. We feel ashamed even saying this—what kind of government is this?” he said.
He said the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should have resigned on the day he saw the selection order.
“I do not know how they are sitting in that chair. They should themselves have resigned that very evening when the list was issued, when they saw that there were only six people in total from Kashmir. How will you maintain balance?” Bukhari said.
Bukhari said the Centre needed to look beyond electoral politics while asserting that Kashmir was being ignored on several fronts.
He said Srinagar was facing problems related to drainage, roads, parking, drinking water and unemployment, and questioned the priorities of the elected government.
“There is a drainage problem here, there are problems with roads, there is a parking problem, and there is the problem of unemployment among the youth,” he said.
Bukhari’s remarks came in the backdrop of a wider debate over the powers of the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has recently questioned the limited powers of the elected administration and called for the restoration of statehood. Quraishi has also said that the Centre had assured the Supreme Court that statehood would be restored after Assembly elections and questioned the delay.
Asked about Quraishi’s observation that an elected government without adequate powers is effectively no government, Bukhari said people often make such statements after leaving positions of power.
“When people come to Jammu and Kashmir after retirement, the sightseeing and the weather here make them speak sweet words. But when they are sitting in positions of power, they never protected the rights of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
He questioned those who now speak about protecting the rights of Jammu and Kashmir, asking where they were when, according to him, the region’s rights were being taken away.
Bukhari also compared Jammu and Kashmir with Delhi, saying that although both are Union Territories, the elected government in Delhi is functioning with greater authority.
“I would say that an elected government without power is no government. And this present government is also a lame duck,” he said.
He added that the J&K government had approached the Supreme Court and said the court should prescribe a timeline.
“The government has approached the Supreme Court, so the Supreme Court should give a timeline,” he said.
Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Bukhari questioned his priorities, saying the Chief Minister had time to inaugurate the renovated Jammu and Kashmir House in Amritsar but, according to him, did not have time to address pressing civic issues in Srinagar. The Chief Minister had in fact inaugurated the renovated J&K House in Amritsar earlier this week.
“Our Chief Minister has time if he has to inaugurate a building in Amritsar, but here in Srinagar city he has no time for marriage halls, no time for drainage and no time to address the shortage of drinking water,” Bukhari said.
He also questioned the role of the government’s MLAs in addressing civic issues, asking whether development decisions were being taken according to electoral calculations.
“Is the only job of his MLAs to decide which street should get a drain and which should not? Is everything going to be decided according to the proportion of votes they got during election?” he asked.
Bukhari has previously highlighted Srinagar’s shortage of parking, inadequate housing, damaged roads and lanes, insufficient drainage and shortage of basic amenities, and has called for a comprehensive long-term development plan for the city.
