Hasnain Masoodi demands Assembly polls, meaningful dialogue in LS

New Delhi: National Conference Member Hasnain Masoodi on Tuesday called for a meaningful dialogue to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue and demanded that Assembly elections be conducted in the state at the earliest.
”There should be a roadmap to tackle the Jammu and Kashmir issue. There was talk about ‘Jamhuriat’ (democracy), but the state of Jammu and Kashmir was being deprived of the festival of democracy,” the Anantnag member said in the Lok Sabha during the debate on Motion of Thanks on President’s address to the Joint Sitting of Parliament.
There was a need for a government which is accountable, he said, during the debate which was initiated on Monday by first-timer BJP lawmaker Pratap Chandra Sarangi.
There was no reason or opportunity for President’s Rule, Mr Masoodi said, adding that Assembly elections were being postponed without any reason.
He said there was talk about delimitation, and ”the idea of delimitation is being put forth as the reason for not conducting polls”.
He said there were no development, no roads, no electricity and no tourism left in the state.
”Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for aspirational regionalism but it has not percolated in the speech,” he said.
Shiv Sena member Prataprao Jadhav said water, which flows down to the seas, could be directed to rivers and dams.
He also suggested a separated ‘krishi budget’ on the lines of Railway Budget presented earlier.
KC(M) member Thomas Chazhikadan said the government has done nothing for the rubber growers.
As much as 95 per cent of rubber of the country was grown in Kottayam, his constituency, the Kerala Member said and demanded that the government should take steps for price stabilisation.
He also said farmers lost their lands in the unprecedented floods in 2018 and demanded that government waive off their loans.
He also said that the government should take steps to make water bodies pollution free.
BJP member Rajdeep Roy of Assam that Mr Narendra Modi was a hands-on Prime Minister.
Mr Modi has integrated the people of North East with the whole country, the Silchar lawmaker said, adding that ”the Prime Minister made 18 trips to Guwahati and the North East and made 48 addresses. He is capable of looking after the whole country.”
Mr Roy mentioned about another Prime Minister between 2004 to 2014 who did not visit Silchar even once.
Apna Dal member Anupriya Patel asked the government to step up efforts to conduct All India Judicial Services as there were more than 5,000 vacancies in districts.
She also said that a Samadhi for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel be constructed as a common man does not know where to go to pay tributes to the Iron Man who unified the whole country.
Congress Member Preneet Kaur said Punjab, the ‘annadata’ state is in the state of severe crisis.
She demanded that there should be one-time waiver scheme for the farmers.
She also demanded said development work be taken up at the borders, which were densely populated unlike borders in other states.
S P Baghel of BJP and Hanuman Beniwal of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party also spoke.