Though the restoration of popular rule in any state of the country deserves greater attention of the Prime Minister of largest democracy of the world, i,e, India and more so in Jammu & Kashmir state where only a popular government can address the alienation brewing up among youth for last more than four years but Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to all the three regions of the state did not bother to utter even a single word about the restoration of popular rule vis-à-vis the conduct of Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously and the possibility of extending the term of presidential rule beyond May this year. True it is that alienation among youth in Kashmir has reached to the point of spontaneous boycott of both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections but central government can’t run away from the responsibility of exploring the option of restoring popular rile in Jammu & Kashmir state at the earliest. Though law and order situation is always an issue for carrying out any major or minor election exercise in Jammu & Kashmir state particularly the Kashmir valley but the Governor’s administration despite boycott from the two largest regional political parties National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the government’s ambiguous position on article 35 A in the supreme court of the country. So law and order can’t now be made an issue by the Modi government for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state. Knowing that the central government has no reason to delay or defer the assembly elections due in the state within six months after the dissolution of assembly as per a Supreme Court ruling, the people in all the three regions of the state expected a statement from the prime minister on the possibility of extending the term of presidential rule beyond May this year or the holding of Lok Sabha and assembly elections in next two months in the state.
Prime Minister in a veiled attack on PDP blaming the previous coalition government of which BJP was a part for the delay in the execution of development projects in Jammu region and not owning the responsibility for the increasing alienation among youth in Kashmir conveyed a message to the people that he himself being the architect of a failed coalition experiment in Jammu & Kashmir did not dare to announce his government’s willingness to hold Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously to restore popular rule in the state at the earliest.
Prime Minister holding a stage managed meeting with panchs and Sarpanchs living not in their panchayat halqas but fortified hotels at highly fortified SKICC Srinagar and avoiding a meeting with leaders of top mainstream parties as per the past practice shows his intents of prolonging the process of the restoration of popular rule in Jammu & Kashmir. Prime Minister in a veiled attack on PDP blaming the previous coalition government of which BJP was a part for the delay in the execution of development projects in Jammu region and not owning the responsibility for the increasing alienation among youth in Kashmir conveyed a message to the people that he himself being the architect of a failed coalition experiment in Jammu & Kashmir did not dare to announce his government’s willingness to hold Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously to restore popular rule in the state at the earliest.
