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Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday were angered by the Narendra Modi-led government’s move to grant additional powers to the Lieutenant Governor. The Congress termed it “murder of democracy” while the National Conference and the PDP asserted that the decision would “disempower” the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Apni Party has called upon all political groups to set aside differences and protest unitedly against the move.
Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The only meaning that can be drawn from this notification is that it is not possible for Jammu and Kashmir to get the status of a full state in the immediate future. There is a consensus among political parties that Jammu and Kashmir should immediately once again become a full state of the Indian Union and should no longer remain a Union Territory.”
The Rajya Sabha MP also reiterated the Supreme Court’s decision to hold mandatory elections in the northern Union Territory before the end of September. He said Prime Minister Modi has “said on record that full statehood will be restored”.
Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said, “The central government feels that their decision of August 2019 was unjust to the people of the existing state. That is why the amendment was brought. This is positive news for us in a way… LG is the person who runs the state, so in a way, they (central government) have transferred some powers to the head of the state… In another way, maybe they are trying to reduce the powers of the future elected agency.”
(with inputs from agencies)
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