Guv Malik dissolves Assembly after PDP, Lone stake claim to form govt

Srinagar: A day of hightened political activity in summer capital Srinagar and winter capital Jammu on Wednesday morning started with parleys on government formation and ended with the dissolution if the assembly. The day started with the statements from National Conference, Congress and PDP leaders for formation of a new non BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir and ended with dissolution of assembly in late evening hours.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik in the late evening hours dissolved the legislative assembly minutes after Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP and Peoples Conference Chairman Sajad Ghani Lone staked claim to form the government with the support of Congress and National Conference. The Governor passed the order in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by clause (b) of section 53 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.
Shortly after Mehbooba staked claim to form the government with the support of Congress and NC and People’s Conference Chairman Sajad Ghani Lone also sent a letter to the Governor staking claim to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir with the help of 25-member BJP the Governor issued an order to dissolve the assembly . Mufti, whose party has 29 MLAs, wrote to Governor S P Malik claiming the support of 15 MLAs of NC, 12 of Congress in the 87-member assembly. An order issued from the Raj Bhawan in Jammu said “By virtue of the powers vested upon me in terms of Proclamation No: P-1/18 of 2018 dated: 20th June 2018 issued under sub-section (1) of Section 92 and in exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Clause (b) of seb-section (2) of Section-53 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, I hereby dissolve the Legislative Assembly,” said a communiqué issued by the Raj Bhavan.
Meanwhile PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, Senior Congress leader and leader of the opposition in Rajaya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and another senior leader Prof Saif Ud Din Soz in their tweet questioned the decision of Governor Satya Pal Malik to dissolve the assembly on legal , constitutional and moral lines.
Taking a jibe at Governor’s decision to dissolve the assembly, Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in series of tweet said, ” in my twenty six year old career as a politician, I thought I had seen it all! But like they say never say never! Nevertheless, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Omar Abdullah and Ambika soni4 for helping us achieve the seemingly impossible.” She added saying “our pleas fell on deaf ears.” Yet in another tweet Mehbooba wrote “Oddly enough our pleas fell on deaf ears. But who would have thought that the very idea of a grand coalition would give such jitters.” In another tweet she wrote “Since the past five months, regardless of political affiliations, we shared the view that the state assembly be dissolved immediately to avert horse trading & defections”.
National Conference Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on twitter “JKNC has been pressing for assembly dissolution for 5 months now. It can’t be a coincidence that within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti Sahiba letter staking claim the order to dissolve the assembly suddenly appears”.
Senior Congress leader and leader of the opposition in the Rajaya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad in a tweet wrote “I said this afternoon also that it’s a suggestion & no final decision has been taken yet (on PDP-NC-Congress alliance). BJP dissolved the assembly even though only a proposal was made: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress on #JammuAndKashmir”
In a tweet senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Prof Saif-Ud-Din Soz wrote “Mehbooba Ji should move court as what Governor has done on Centre’s instructions is undemocratic & unconstitutional. Mehbooba Mufti wrote to Governor only after Congress & NC supported PDP & Guv should’ve given her a chance”
However the BJP in its tweet said the proposed alliance broked before its formation as the party wrote on its twitter handle “The proposed alliance between the INC and the PDP broke up even before it was formed. They have taken contradictory positions on dissolution. One supports it and the other opposes it. Keeping the security scenario of J&K in mind, can it afford horse-trading and instability? J&K needs a firm administration to deal with terrorism and not a combination of terror-friendly parties. The best option in such a scenario is to go in for a fresh election at the earliest. This assembly cannot produce a stable government.”
The Trinamool Congress criticised the sudden dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Wednesday night and accused the BJP of having no respect for the constitution. “The BJP have no respect for the constitution and destroying every institution in the country,” TMC national spokesperson and leader of Rajya Sabha parliamentary party Derek O’ Brien was quoted as saying in a media report.