CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday demanded early hearing of the petition challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in the Supreme Court. He said not only Kashmiri Pandits but Muslims, Sikhs and other communities have suffered in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference at the residence of CPI(M) leader M.Y. Tarigami in Srinagar, he said the movie The Kashmir Files has been released to vitiate the atmosphere.
He said people belonging to all faiths have suffered equally in Kashmir. He said leaders were also attacked in Kashmir.
He said everyone has been equally fighting the militancy.
“One fails to understand why the role of then governor was not highlighted in the movie,’’ Yechury said. “His role should have also been highlighted.”
Demanding early hearing of the petition against the BJP-led government’s Article 370 move, the CPI(M) general secretary said until the petition is heard, the government should at least be barred from taking decisions and introducing new laws in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the situation across the country had worsened and unemployment is at an all-time high. He said the youth have stopped searching for jobs.
“The situation of India is worsening rapidly as the constitutional pillars are being distracted,” he said. “It is the time to save the country and address the day-to-day issues of people.”
Tarigami said Kashmir is not a mere piece of land but a place with a history of 5,000 years.
“The incumbent regime is putting the laws aside to take any decision with regard to Jammu and Kashmir,’’ he said. “There is a need to save the democratic institutions and the country as well.”
He said instead of rubbing salt into the wounds of people, there is a need to heal the wounds of people.
About The Kashmir Files, Tarigami said the CPI(M) demands the constitution of a commission to ascertain who had suffered in the valley.
He said the CPI(M) had decided to strengthen unity among communities with the collaboration of parties as attempts are being made to drive a wedge between different communities.
He said the CPI(M) has passed a resolution in which different issues confronting the people had been highlighted. He said the resolution adopted said the overall situation in Jammu and Kashmir had gone further downhill since the BJP government revoked the constitutional autonomy under Article 370 and split it into two centrally controlled territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on August 5, 2019.
It said the brazen assault dismantled the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and seriously undermined the relationship between the people of the state and the Union. This authoritarian move has pushed the people further against the wall.
It said the amendments to 14 land laws including four crucial laws—The J&K Development Act, 1970; The J&K Land Revenue Act, 1996; The Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976, and The J&K Land Grants Act, 1960—had spurred insecurity among the people. It said the introduction of new land laws are set to have deleterious effects on the economic sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir.
The resolution said the Delimitation Commission had proposed an arbitrary overhauling of territorial constituencies to favour the ruling party. Even the fundamental parameters—that is, population—has not been used to remap the constituencies. It said the CPI(M) along with other parties has already moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Reorganisation Act, under which the entire delimitation process is being carried out.
