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The mainstream parties reacted sharply to reports that the Centre was planning delimitation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir , saying it was an obvious attempt to “inflict another emotional partition” on the state “on communal lines”.
Earlier , Union Home Minister Amit Shah was given a detailed presentation on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, where the BJP has been pushing for carrying out a delimitation exercise for getting more seats for Jammu region in the state assembly.
“Distressed to hear about GoI’s (Government of India) plan to redraw assembly constituencies in J&K. Forced delimitation is an obvious attempt to inflict another emotional partition of the state on communal lines. Instead of allowing old wounds to heal, GoI is inflicting pain on Kashmiris,” former chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said on Twitter.
Distressed to hear about GoIs plan to redraw assembly constituencies in J&K. Forced delimitation is an obvious attempt to inflict another emotional partition of the state on communal lines.Instead of allowing old wounds to heal, GoI is inflicting pain on Kashmiris
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 4, 2019
Officials said there was no discussion on constituting a delimitation commission during the meeting with Shah.
However, they said, against the backdrop of delimitation demands by the state BJP, there was a possibility of the new Central government constituting a delimitation commission to redraw the scope and size of the Assembly segments and determine the number of seats to be reserved for Scheduled Castes.
National Conference vice-president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his party would oppose tooth and nail, any attempt to make changes without a mandate from the people of the state.
“The freeze on delimitation was applied to J&K and was done to bring the state in line with the rest of the country. The same was challenged & upheld in both the High Court of J&K & the Supreme Court,” Omar tweeted.
The freeze on delimitation was applied to J&K and was done to bring the state in line with the rest of the country. The same was challenged & upheld in both the High Court of J&K & the Supreme Court.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 4, 2019
“A freeze on delimitation has been applied to the entire country until 2026 and contrary to the way some ill-informed TV channels are trying to sell it, it isn’t just a J&K specific freeze,” he said.
The National Conference leader said it was rather surprising that the BJP, which talks about bringing Jammu and Kashmir at par with other states by removing Articles 370 and 35-A of the Constitution, “now wants to treat J&K differently from other states in this one respect”.
“When delimitation takes place in the rest of the country the BJP is welcome to apply it to J&K until then, we in the @JKNC_ will oppose tooth & nail- any attempt to make changes without a mandate from the people of the state,” he said.
When delimitation takes place in the rest of the country the BJP is welcome to apply it to J&K until then we in the @JKNC_ will oppose, tooth & nail, any attempt to make changes without a mandate from the people of the state.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 4, 2019
“Hope and pray that media reports about Kashmir aren’t true. Don’t understand the earth-shattering hurry. And this perception of being wronged at a provincial level. If thousands of graves in Kashmir don’t add up to people being wronged, wonder what wronged means,” Sajad Lone said in a tweet.
Former IAS officer and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement president Shah Faesal said it is a “very serious” and “disturbing” development. “If this is true, then I think this is a very, very serious and disturbing development. We have to understand that the state legislature has put a freeze on the delimitation exercise till 2026-2031. So, any delimitation exercise, if it is to be done in the state, has to be done with the concurrence of the state legislature,” he said in a video he posted on his Twitter handle.
