Jammu-Kashmir Assembly dissolved LIVE updates: Omar Abdullah said that the Governor had no basis to call the proposed alliance between NC, PDP and Congress as ‘unstable’. (File)
After alleging that National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party joined hands to form a government in the state at the behest of Pakistan, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav has retracted his statement. Madhav said he takes back his comment as former CM Omar Abdullah had denied that there was any external pressure. He further said the two parties should contest the next elections in the state together to prove that the “love” that prompted them to form an alliance was genuine.
The development came after Abdullah ‘dared’ Madhav to prove his allegations and put the evidence in public domain or “be man enough” to apologise. Earlier in the day, Madhav alleged that the PDP and the NC boycotted the local body polls last month because they had “instructions from across the border”.
Read | The political drama in J&K
On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the legislative assembly minutes after Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP staked claim to form the government with the support of Congress and National Conference. The BJP has called for an urgent meeting with all its MLAs on Thursday to decide the future course of action.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. (File Photo)
Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav alleged that the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly after three major parties had come together to form the government in the state amounted to "killing" of democracy. In a statement, he accused the BJP of neither caring for the Constitution nor having any respect for institutions. Yadav said, "Democracy has been killed in Jammu and Kashmir by dissolving the assembly. I oppose and condemn it."
Former Lok Sabha secretary general and constitutional expert P D T Acharya has said that it is for the first time that an assembly has been dissolved after the governor concluded it was impossible to form a stable government by parties with "opposing political ideologies". PTI reported. Acharya said the conclusion of the governor that opposing political ideologies cannot put up a stable government was "not credible".
The war of words between BJP and the Opposition continued, with Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president GA Mir accusing the saffron party of being in the habit of making false allegations and labelling others, who do not support them, as anti-nationals. “This has become the BJP's habit that those who support it are nationalists and those who do not support its wrong principles and policies are dubbed as anti-nationals and pro-Pakistani. Who has given you this right?” Mir asked.
The Congress leader also questioned the BJP's central leaders about their association with the separatist-turned-mainstream leader, Sajjad Gani Lone. Mir said he wanted to ask the BJP when did the combination it was pursuing and the person (Lone) whom it was projecting got de-linked from the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI. "Have you taken a certificate for him?" he asked.
Commenting on the sudden dissolution of the J&K assembly, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the action of Governor Satyapal Malik as "undemocratic and anti-people". The governor had a constitutional obligation to allow an opportunity for the PDP to prove its claims of a majority, Vijayan said in a Facebook Post. This whole affair can be only be viewed as a "political game orchestrated by the central government using governors as pawns," he alleged.
"The Jammu & Kashmir policy of the central government is quite malevolent. The centre is using the problems of Kashmir as a means for communal polarisation. These measures will only help alienate the people there," Vijayan said.
Congress national spokesperson Manish Tewari condemned the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, saying Governor Satyapal Malik acted on the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his office. "The Jammu and Kashmir governor has played with the Constitution of the country. The act to dissolve the assembly has been taken on the directions of the prime minister and the PMO," Tewari said at a press conference.
It seems that in the latest war of words with BJP's Ram Madhav, NC chief Omar Abdullah has had the last laugh. After alleging that National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party joined hands to form a government in the state at the behest of Pakistan, Madhav has retracted his statement. Madhav said he takes back his comment as Abdullah has denied that there was any external pressure. He further said the two parties should contest the next elections in the state together to prove that the "love" that prompted them to form an alliance was genuine.
Addressing a press conference, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said an alliance between NC, PDP and Congress won't benefit J&K as opposition voices were essential. "Nobody ever suggested that we would be fighting polls together. This arrangement was to protect J&K from the current mess. I don't believe that NC, PDP and Congress fighting elections together will in any way benefit J&K because legitimate opposition voices are essential," he said. "We don't want to create a situation like 1987 where all political parties in Diwali come together and the only space that remains is for fringe. As I said to Mehbooba Mufti Ji on Twitter yesterday, we have to fight another day, good luck to her, good luck to us," the former CM further said.
After BJP general secretary Ram Madhav alleged that National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party had come together to stake claim to power on instructions from Pakistan, J&K Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir asked Madhav to prove his charge or apologise. "You have CBI, IB, RAW, Governor. So, you will have to prove this charge or else you must apologise," ANI quoted Mir as saying.
On Wednesday, hours after the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was dissolved, Madhav said, “PDP and NC had boycotted the local body polls last month because they had instructions from across the border. Probably they had fresh instructions from across the border to come together and form the government."
The Union Cabinet Thursday was briefed about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir where the Governor has dissolved the state assembly, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said here.
Addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting here, Jaitley said, "Though Jammu and Kashmir was not on the agenda of the Cabinet meeting, members of the Cabinet were briefed about the situation."
Meeting of BJP Core group over dissolution of J&K assembly underway in Jammu. BJP State president Ravinder Raina & former J&K Deputy CM Nirmal Singh present.
PDP&NC boycotted local body polls last month because they had instructions from across the border.Probably they had fresh instructions from across the border to come together & form govt.What they did prompted Guv to look into the whole issue: Ram Madhav on J&K assembly dissolved.
Upset with the BJP terming the three parties who had come together to form a new coalition in Jammu-Kashmir as “terror-friendly” parties, National Conference leader and former state chief minister Omar Abdullah says his party will take legal action against BJP.
“This is ridiculous, to say the least. It is outright defamatory. It is too much now. They (BJP) had nothing to say in response to us so they make this defamatory allegation. Till yesterday, they were partners of PDP. READ MORE
Former secretary-general of the Lok Sabha Subhash Kashyap said: “This (dissolution) is well within his jurisdiction if he is convinced that it is not possible to form a stable government. The Constitution gives him the power to dissolve the assembly and order fresh elections. After all, he has waited for several months and now there is an attempt to cobble together a government through horse-trading." READ MORE
The BJP has called for an important meeting with all its MLAs today and we will decide the future course of action, BJP State president Ravinder Raina told ANI.
Sources close to leaders involved in the parleys told The Indian Express that the PDP and the NC had no choice but to negotiate a new coalition to keep out the BJP and especially Sajad Lone. They added the Congress too felt that the new alliance would send the right message nationwide ahead of elections, and help it consolidate in Jammu where BJP routed it in the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. READ MORE
What made arch rivals NC and PDP come together along with Congress, how their alliance forced the Centre’s hand, and why the 3 parties will still look to use the Assembly dissolution to their advantage. Read to know more
JK Governor statement:
The Governor, Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Satya Pal Malik, today issued an order dissolving the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect. The Governor came to this conclusion based on the material available to him from multiple sources. The main reasons because of which the Governor arrived at this decision are :
i) The impossibility of forming a stable government by the coming together of political parties with opposing political ideologies including some which have been demanding dissolution of the Assembly; whereas the experience of the past few years shows that with the fractured mandate that is there in the Assembly, it is not possible to form a stable government comprising of like-minded parties. The coming together of such parties in a grouping is nothing but an attempt to gain power rather than to form a responsive government.
ii) Reports of extensive horse trading and possible exchange of money in order to secure the support of legislators belonging to widely diverging political ideologies just to be able to form a government. Such activities are not healthy for democracy and vitiate the political process.
iii) Serious doubts about the longevity of any such arrangement where there are competing claims of majority. iv) The fragile security scenario in the state of Jammu and Kashmir where there is a need to have a stable and supportive environment for security forces which are engaged in extensive anti-militancy operations and are gradually gaining control over the security situation. The Governor came to the conclusion that, in this background, he has satisfied himself that the best course of action is to dissolve the assembly so as to provide stability and security to the state and hold elections at an appropriate time so that a government with a clear mandate is duly formed.
The Election Commission will examine whether the model code of conduct can be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir even before fresh elections are announced there. The poll panel had recently decided that in states where assemblies are dissolved prematurely, the model code will come into force immediately.
The poll code, which bars the caretaker government and the party in power from taking policy decisions, otherwise comes into force the day polls are announced by the EC.
The Trinamool Congress criticised the sudden dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Wednesday night and accused the BJP of having no respect for the constitution.
"The BJP have no respect for the constitution and destroying every institution in the country," TMC national spokesperson and leader of Rajya Sabha parliamentary party Derek O' Brien told PTI.
Taking a jibe at Governor's decision to dissolve the assembly, Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in series of tweet said, " in my twenty six year old career as a politician, I thought I had seen it all! But like they say never say never! Nevertheless, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Omar Abdullah and Ambika soni4 for helping us achieve the seemingly impossible."
She added saying "our pleas fell on deaf ears."
After the J&K governor dissolved the state assembly, which has been in suspended animation, shortly after rival alliances staked claim to form the government, the state is now headed for another spell of central rule beyond December 18 when the governor's rule comes to an end.
Home Ministry has received a report from Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on the dissolution of assembly.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Wednesday dissolved the legislative assembly minutes after Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP staked claim to form the government with the support of Congress and National Conference. The Governor passed the order in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by clause (b) of section 53 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.
Former J&K CM and President of PDP Mehbooba Mufti wrote to Governor Satya Pal Malik to stake claim for forming govt in the state. The letter reads, "You might have gathered from media reports that Congress and NC have decided to extend support to our party to form govt."
Earlier, accusing the NC and the PDP of trying to scuttle the democratic process, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had asked them to clear stand on whether they would participate in state assembly elections or boycott them, like they did during the local bodies polls.
Asked about any proposal to dissolve the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Madhav said the Governor’s rule will continue till the middle of December and what happens next will be discussed then. “We are happy with it and that is why BJP has decided to continue the Governor rule for some time,” he said at a function here to felicitate the newly-elected BJP councillors late last night.
National Conference has decided to support the PDP-Congress alliance from outside. Sources say that Bukhari has been a consensus candidate for the CM’s post while PDP president Mehbooba Mufti wanted Farooq Abdullah to lead the alliance
Independent Legislator Hakeem Yasin says, "will extend support to the grand alliance in J&k"