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The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
NC, PDP flay Centre's stand on L-G's powers to nominate 5 MLAs to J&K Legislative Assembly
Several Jammu and Kashmir parties, including the ruling National Conference (NC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday (August 11, 2025) flayed the Centre's stand on powers of the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) to nominate five MLAs to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly without the elected government's 'aid and advice'. 'When Jammu and Kashmir has an elected government with an absolute majority, bypassing it to let the L-G handpick members is not governance, it is contempt for the people's mandate. It strikes at the heart of parliamentary democracy, ignores the constitutional spirit of 'aid and advice', and sets a dangerous precedent where unelected appointees can rewrite the people's verdict,' ruling NC leader and MLA Tanvir Sadiq said. Former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also expressed her dismay over the Centre's stand. 'The Government of India's decision to nominate five MLAs in Jammu and Kashmir after holding elections is a blatant subversion of democratic principles. Nowhere else in the country does the Centre handpick legislators to override the public mandate. In India's only Muslim-majority region, long marred by conflict, this move feels less like governance and more like control,' Ms. Mufti said. Following the 'illegal bifurcation' of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, skewed delimitation and discriminatory seat reservations, this nomination was yet another body blow to the idea of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. 'Representation must be earned through the people's vote not granted by a Central decree,' she added. Appeal to CM Ms. Mufti urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to put up a fight. 'This cannot be allowed to become the norm. Hope Mr. Abdullah's government rises to the occasion by challenging this undemocratic precedent because silence now would be complicity later,' Ms. Mufti said. CPI(M) leader and Kulgam MLA M.Y. Tarigami too questioned the Home Ministry's justification for empowering the L-G. 'It is a clear attempt to undermine the electoral democratic process in the region. This move is yet another step in eroding democratic norms. The L-G himself is an unelected nominee of the government and giving him the authority to nominate members to the Assembly runs contrary to the very spirit of representative democracy,' Mr. Tarigami said. He said earlier the Centre conducted delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir that 'amounted to gerrymandering'. 'No established norms were followed during delimitation. Kashmir, despite having a larger population, was given only one additional seat, while the other region got six seats. This arbitrary process compromised the fairness of our electoral system,' he said. Mr. Tarigami said the provision for nominating members, 'especially by an unelected L-G, will 'further worsen the situation'. 'Nomination itself is contrary to the principle of an electoral democratic process, and in the present context, it openly indicates designs to weaken democratic representation in Jammu and Kashmir,' Mr. Tarigami said. According to amended Section 15 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the L-G has powers to nominate five members — two women, two Kashmiri Pandits and one Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir resident — to the Assembly. Most parties opposed the move and alleged that in case of a hung Assembly, the five MLAs may tilt the balance and the ruling party in the Centre will benefit from it. The L-G powers were contested before the High Court. The Hindu on August 10 reported that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had submitted its position and supported the L-G's powers to nominate five members to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly without the government's 'aid and advice'. The Ministry said the nominations were 'outside the realm of the business of the elected government of Jammu and Kashmir'.
India Gazette
23-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Farmers' Unions from hill states announce July 9 protest against possible zero-tariff deal with U.S.
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)[India], June 23(ANI): Farmer unions and apple growers from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand have jointly declared a nationwide strike on July 9 to protest against the possible inclusion of agricultural produce under a zero-tariff framework reportedly being discussed between India and the United States. Concerns among farmers have intensified following reports that the US has set a July 9 deadline for India to accept the proposal. Growers fear that allowing duty-free imports of apples and other commodities would gravely impact local producers in the hill states. At a meeting held in Shimla on Monday, various horticultural organisations from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir came together. They expressed apprehensions that the government's negotiations may compromise the interests of local growers. Former MLA and convener of the Himachal Pradesh Sanyukt Kisan Manch, Rakesh Singha, said that fruit producers from Himachal and the All India Kisan and Mazdoor organisations will participate in the nationwide protest on July 9. Speaking to ANI, Rakesh Singha said, 'The July 9 protest is being supported at the all-India level by farmers and workers' unions. In Himachal Pradesh, fruit growers' unions and the All India Farmers and Producers Federation will also join. Our main demands include protecting farmers from the ongoing efforts to dispossess them of their land, opposing the proposed abolition of import duties, and ensuring a petition is filed in the Himachal Pradesh High Court against land evictions.' He also criticised the Central government for discontinuing the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) in Himachal Pradesh, stating that funds had stopped coming from Delhi. 'This is a battle not just about import duties, but about saving livelihoods. The MIS used to support apple growers but is now defunct because the Centre is not releasing the funds,' Singha added. Voicing similar concerns, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, MLA from the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly, said all farmers in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are united on their issues. 'Farmers from Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir are united in this struggle. Fruit growers are already facing challenges in the market. Now, there are reports that the U.S. is pushing for agricultural goods to be brought under zero-duty tariffs. We are demanding an increase in customs duties, not their abolition. This is our own produce, grown through hard labour, and it deserves a fair opportunity in the domestic market,' Tarigami said the issue must be viewed in the larger context of inflation, declining wages, and the deteriorating condition of workers across industries. Tarigami added, 'Whether it's daily wagers or industrial workers, the working class is struggling. Trade unions will also be part of this national strike to demand an increase in minimum wages.' The Apple Federation of India has also called for unity among apple growers in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, stating that the fight for farmers' rights has now become a collective battle that cuts across geographies and regions. Yousuf Tarigami said,' We want our Members of Parliament to raise these issues in the Parliament. From the Prime Minister to every elected representative, they are all answerable to the people. If people are suffering and the Cabinet or Prime Minister ignores these demands, it will be a betrayal of public trust.' Tarigami asserted,'We will knock on every door, from the Prime Minister to Parliament to protect our rights. Our geography and climate may differ slightly, but our pain and struggles are the same. All farmers are united in this cause. This is a fight to save our orchards, our land, and our livelihoods.' The farmers' bodies have resolved to organise mass mobilisations and have appealed to all opposition parties and parliamentarians to intervene immediately in the interest of hill agriculture. (ANI)
India Gazette
12-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"War, terror, escalation, not solutions": CPI(M)'s Tarigami advocates for democratic process to solve conflicts
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 12 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) MLA Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami strongly advocated for a solution to conflicts that remains rooted in 'democratic processes' instead of 'war and terror'. Expressing regrets over the situation in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the recently concluded conflict between India and Pakistan, the CPI(M) leader argued that the farms were destroyed on both sides of the border, affecting the livelihood of all who rely on farming and its produce. 'What happened here in Poonch happened across the border as well. The farms were destroyed on this side and the other side of the border as well. I am not advocating for anyone. I mean to say that escalation is not a solution. War is not a solution. Terror is not a solution. The solution is democratic process,' Tarigami, the lone communist leader of Kashmir and five-times MLA from Kulgam, told ANI. His remarks come after a delegation led by CPI(M) visited Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district earlier to meet people affected by shelling by Pakistan. 'People of J&K participated in the democratic process after seven years. They got the chance and seized it. I want to appeal to the government of India to accept the mandate of the people,' he added. CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby expressed reservations over the compensation amount of Rs 1.3 lakh given to the affected residents. 'The situation here is highly distressing, as you would have seen with the drone and shelling attacks. The government has only given Rs 1.3 lakh as compensation, which these days cannot even buy a proper door and window. This is highly deplorable, and we strongly disagree with the government's attitude. The democratic process has been destroyed here. Omar Abdullah is the Chief Minister; this is a Union Territory, and Modi and Amit Shah are controlling everything. We heard that the review meeting conducted with the Lieutenant Governor excluded the Chief Minister,' he said. He further addressed the plight of the people affected by shelling, saying, 'An eight-member family has been given a small room--this attitude of the government needs to change. We, MPs from West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and other corners of ... came here to raise the plight of people in border areas. We demanded a special session to discuss it, but the Prime Minister refused. He didn't even attend the all-party meeting, only giving lectures here and there.' The visit followed shelling by Pakistan in the civilian areas of Jammu and Kashmir post Operation Sindoor, which was conducted on May 7. The operation was conducted in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepalese national. (ANI)
