2018 J-K assembly polls delayed under 'conspiracy' for 'backdoor' abrogation of Art 370: NC MP

Srinagar, Sep 29 (PTI) National Conference (NC) Lok Sabha MP Ruhullah Mehdi on Monday said the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were delayed in 2018 under a "conspiracy" to facilitate the "backdoor" abrogation of Article 370.

"The Constitution says that elections have to be held within six months of any seat getting vacant or if the Assembly is dissolved. In 2018, when the Assembly was dissolved here, this regime delayed the election, which was illegal and unconstitutional," Mehdi told reporters in central Kashmir's Budgam district.

Mehdi, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, said there "was a conspiracy behind that delay" so that the Assembly should not be in place and they can abrogate Article 370 "through the backdoor" by the governor's signature.

"It was the biggest legal and constitutional robbery," he added.

Asked about the appointment of observers for bypolls in Budgam and Nagrota assembly segments in J-K, the MP, who has represented Budgam three times in the erstwhile assembly of J-K state, expressed hope that the byelections take place along with the polls in Bihar.

"It has been more than a year now and the people of Budgam and Nagrota have been waiting for the byelections. There was a report yesterday about the observers and I hope they will announce the byelections along with the polls in Bihar," he said.

The bypoll in Budgam has been necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the seat as he also won the election from Ganderbal assembly segment, which he had retained.

Nagrota seat fell vacant after BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana passed away within days of his election.

To a question about the situation in Ladakh, Mehdi said those people who were happy with the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J-K into two UTs have "realised that the disempowerment" was not in favour of the erstwhile state.

"When the state of J-K was disempowered and divided, we had said, we still say the same that this disempowerment was not in the interest of the state. Today, those people who were happy with the division and disempowerment of the state, and revocation of (special) status have realised that this disempowerment was not in favour of anyone," he said.

Mehdi, a firebrand Shia leader, said one is arrested for expressing dissent or protesting against decisions taken by Delhi.

"PSA (Public Safety Act) and UAPA [Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act] have become a routine in Kashmir. Some people who used to talk in favour of the BJP for the last few years, today they have been arrested and laws like the NSA (National Security Act) are slapped on them," he said, referring to activist Sonam Wangchuk.

The MP accused the BJP of not working for the national interest but for the party.

"It should be clear to everyone that this regime does not see the national interest but party interest. Until some person or a party or some state parrots their narrative, they are fine with it, but if the same people, irrespective of religion, say against the BJP's policies, then the BJP calls them anti-national and slaps PSA and NSA-like laws. This was a reality in Kashmir and now this reality has dawned in Ladakh as well," he added.

However, he extended support to the genuine demands of the people of Ladakh. PTI SSB KSS KSS