Senior Congress leader and General Secretary AICC, G.A. Mir on Thursday termed the resumption of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after seven years a positive. He, however, expressed concerns over the lack of autonomy for elected representatives in Jammu and Kashmir, attributing it to the current UT status.
Speaking to the media on the side-lines of the ongoing budget session of the J&K Legislative Assembly, Mir stated that while the resumption of assembly proceedings after seven years was a positive development, in the current UT status most of the controls were under the limits of the Lieutenant Governor and the central government.
“People had no platform to voice their grievances for seven years. Now, at least discussions are taking place, and questions are being raised. But the real challenge is the execution,” Mir said.
He stated that there was little control of the elected government over the decision-making. He said that efforts are on to get back the statehood and that the chief minister too is on it, stating that the MLAs from the BJP too were feeling ‘degraded’ in the absence of statehood.
Mir said that the absence of full statehood has weakened the role of MLAs, including those from the BJP, who, despite their numbers, have been unable to assert themselves in the assembly.
“Earlier, when the BJP had just 6 MLAs, they made their presence felt. Today, despite having a much larger representation, their role in the assembly seems lifeless,” he said.
Mir said Congress stands committed on the demand for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, stating that only an elected government with full powers could address the people’s concerns effectively—(KNO)
