In LS, Masoodi roots for early Assembly elections

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 25

Anantnag MP Hasnain Masoodi on Tuesday demanded immediate elections in the state, saying there was no reason to extend the President’s rule any further.

Participating in the debate on President’s address in Lok Sabha, Masoodi, the National Conference MP who defeated PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag, said the government should also open the dialogue process to engage the people of J&K, besides allowing them to engage in the democratic exercise of Assembly elections.

Masoodi took the occasion to flag concerns around the talk of delimitation in the state and said constitutionally that cannot happen because there is a freeze on delimitation nationally.

“The President’s address does not mention anything about the resumption of the dialogue process, though the Governor has given the feelers. But we need a roadmap to engage the stakeholders. A serious and meaningful attempt at opening the dialogue process must be made,” he said in the LS, red-flagging the recent government move of setting up Lok Sabha polling booths in clusters five to eight km away from where people resided.

“Clustering of booths far away from residences of people led to decreased voter participation in the Valley,” Masoodi said.

BJP Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal made his maiden speech in the House and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for keeping Ladakh high on his priority.

“PM Modi visited Ladakh four times in five years. He was the only PM to do that. I can also never forget the joy I saw on the face of an old Ladakhi when his bank account was opened under Jan Dhan Yojna and an ATM card given to him. This became possible due to PM Modi,” Namgyal said.

In indirect reference to the Congress, the BJP member from Ladakh said “Those who ruled the country for 55 years never did anything for Ladakh. One of their leaders mocked us saying not a shred of grass can grow in Ladakh, whereas our region is rich in solar energy, geo thermal energy, tourism and pashmina.”

Namgyal hailed BJP’s policy of zero tolerance for terrorism which, he said, had reduced stone pelting instances in Kashmir.

Those who ruled the country for 55 years never did anything for Ladakh. One of their leaders mocked us saying not a shred of grass can grow in Ladakh, whereas our region is rich in solar energy, geo thermal energy, tourism and pashmina. — Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Ladakh MP