SRINAGAR: Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday voiced their strong opposition to the Centre’s move to vest more powers in the Union Territory’s Lieutenant Governor for taking decisions on matters related to police and all-India service officers.While main regional outfits — the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — said the decision would “disempower” the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress termed it as the “murder of democracy” and the Apni Party urged all parties to shun differences and unitedly protest against the move.NC Vice President Omar Abdullah said the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve better than a “powerless, rubber stamp” chief minister who will have to beg the Lieutenant Governor to get a peon appointed.The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, however, said the move was “another indicator that elections are around the corner in J&K”.”This is why a firm commitment laying out the timeline for restoration of full, undiluted statehood for J&K is a prerequisite for these elections. The people of J&K deserve better than powerless, rubber stamp CM who will have to beg the LG to get his/her peon appointed,” the NC vice president said.NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq termed the decision “a blatant misuse of power” by the BJP-led government at the Centre to “disempower” the people.”It is aimed only at weakening the democratic voice of the people of J-K. The Central government’s preference of granting powers to an unelected lieutenant governor instead of an elected government is a clear attempt to undermine the future of a democratically elected government in J-K,” he said.Sadiq said the order shows how non-serious Delhi is to empower the people of J-K.”We were promised by none less than the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of India that the statehood would be restored, this order nullifies all of that. This is saddening,” he added.PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter and her media advisor, Iltija Mufti, said the order seeks to disempower the powers of an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.”At a time when there’s been considerable speculation about GOI holding elections in J&K this new MHA order & farmaan widening the already unbridled powers of an unelected LG make a few things abundantly clear,” Iltija Mufti said in a post on X.
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