National Conference leader resigns to contest rural polls

Srinagar: National Conference (NC) spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu on Tuesday resigned from the party over its decision to boycott the upcoming local body and panchayat elections. He also said that he will contest the municipal polls from hometown Srinagar “to serve the people” and a formal announcement to this effect will be made on Wednesday.

“Based on my humble disagreement with the party’s decision to boycott the upcoming ULB and Panchayat Polls, I have just sent my resignation from the party to the JKNC general secretary,” Mr Mattu wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.

In another tweet, he said, “I strongly believe that leaving our grassroots democratic institutions open to misrepresentation would inflict serious harm on the State and also wreak havoc with our social fabric and cultural legacy.”

The NC said that it was “pleased” to accept Mr Mattu’s resignation. The party’s twitter handle said, “J&K National Conference is pleased to accept the resignation of Junaid Azim Mattu from the basic membership of party”.

The NC had earlier this month announced that it will not participate in the local bodies and panchayat elections and may also boycott the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls “unless and until the State as well as the Central governments clear their position vis-à-vis Article 35A in and outside the courts”.

Its arch rival PDP said the situation on the ground created by what it alleged was government’s imprudently linking these polls with Article 35A case pending before the Supreme Court (SC) and apprehension among the people thereof have prompted it to boycott the elections. The CPI(M) also opted for boycott of these elections on similar grounds.

The NC on Tuesday reiterated its stance regarding Articles 35A and 370 said that the protection and defence of these Constitutional provisions and restoration of autonomy in J&K is the “bedrock” of party’s policy and political agenda. “This is essential to protect the distinct identity of the state and its people,” it said and added that it believes this is the right time for Government of India to consider the autonomy resolution passed by the State Legislature in June 2000.

A resolution passed at the end of a two-day meeting of the NC’s central working committee here said that this will be a serious and meaningful effort by the Centre to convert the Independence Day commitment of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, that neither bullets nor abuse but embracing Kashmiris is the way forward to find solution to the Kashmir problem.       

In another resolution adopted at the meeting which was chaired by NC president Farooq Abdullah said that it stands for the unity, integrity and the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and shall continue to strive to defend its secular character. “We further resolve that NC shall continue to work in this    direction and vehemently defeat the nefarious designs of the forces who are hell- bent on weakening the secular credentials of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” the resolution said.

In a third resolution, the party said that calling off the meeting between Minister of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York was “extremely unfortunate”. The party unanimously resolved that the two countries “must restart a  sustained and uninterrupted dialogue process to find a solution to all disputes including  the Kashmir problem”.

The party asserted that it was of the firm opinion that continuation of the dialogue between two countries is the only way available to settle all disputes between two countries and is also in the larger interest of people of the subcontinent.

 In a fourth resolution, the NC said that after 2014 there has been a marked and worrisome deterioration in the security scenario across J&K. “The sanctity of life in the State, whether it is in the number of educated employed youngsters who have taken up arms or the families of police personnel and civilians who are being targeted has been greatly eroded,” the resolution said. It added, “The root cause of the alienation and anger that has been visible since 2014 is the opportunistic alliance of the PDP with the BJP. It was a betrayal of the mandate of the people who voted in 2014 Assembly elections”.

It said that there is no sense of security on the ground. “The way in which excessive use of force and human rights violations are being condoned coupled with mass arrest of youngsters, night raids across the state exposes the tall claims of the state and the central government. In such an atmosphere civilians, police personnel are being targeted in most gruesome ways. Such incidents of violence against families’ of civilians or police personnel are not only worrisome but puts a big question mark over the security apparatus operational in the State,” the resolution said.

It urged the Central government and the Governor administration to immediately take steps to restore a sense of security in the State. “A zero tolerance policy for human rights violations must be reiterated and implemented in letter and spirit. The standard operating procedures that have been put in place must also be implemented without any relaxation,” the resolution said.

In yet another resolution, the party voiced its deep concern at the sharp rise of the prices of essential commodities especially petrol, diesel, LPG cylinders. End it