JammU : Former Minister and Chairman AAP J&K State Co-ordination Committee, Harsh Dev Singh on Sunday said prolonged central rule in the erstwhile state was a negation of the constitutional guarantees enshrined in the Constitution of the country and sought early restoration of statehood to J&K and installation of an elected government.
“Several assurances by the central govt of restoring statehood to J&K at the appropriate time had failed to inspire the people of J&K who had lost faith in all such ‘melodramatic rants’ of the BJP leadership,” said Singh while addressing a press conference during the course of induction of over 100 Sarpanches and Panches joining Aam Aadmi Party here at party headquarters.
The new entrants were introduced by Raj Kapoor and Dharam Singh Bittu, senior leaders of the party.
Singh said while the people of the erstwhile state were mystified and befuddled by the abrupt abrogation of Article 370, they had expressed their strong opposition to the dismantling of 200 year old historical State of J&K and downgrading it to the level of UT.
He said such move of BJP-led government had not only lowered the morale of the people of erstwhile State but caused huge disenchantment in the hearts and minds of the general masses. “It was not a demotion of the State only. Infact every sensible citizen felt downgraded and humiliated. It had deeply hurt the sentiments of the people of J&K who felt belittled and dwarfed”, said Singh.