After the former state’s special status was removed, the people of Jammu and Kashmir experienced a period of normalcy, which motivated them to pursue a true democracy, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said in an interview with NDTV.
Regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on April 12 in Udhampur, Union Territory, regarding the restoration of statehood and the holding of state elections, Mr. Singh stated that people are being misled by the opposition’s inaccurate depiction of the actual situation in the border state.
Mr. Singh is the representative for the Lok Sabha from Udhampur, where voting took place on April 19.
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“Jammu and Kashmir had been holding elections for decades, but the voter turnout was consistently low. We only had about 10% of the population voting, which was a travesty of democracy. The Union Minister of Science and Technology told NDTV that people would elect MPs and MLAs, especially from the Kashmir valley, and they would continue to become MPs, MLAs, and ministers for generations to come.
They now have a personal stake in the persistence of militancy. In a statement that was perceived as a jab at dynastic politics, Mr. Singh stated, “They can have close elections with a limited voter turnout, which would of course be managed by them, and then they would manage their victory, election after election.”
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’s Abdullah family had long been a powerful political force in the area.
“I believe that this great turnout, which also occurred in the District Development Council (DDC) election, is in the true spirit of democracy now that it (Jammu and Kashmir) has opened up,” Mr. Singh stated.
Following the central government’s August 2019 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution, the DDC election was held.
“Even in Kashmir Valley, there was a record-breaking turnout for the DDC elections. Significant progress has been made in improving the situation. The fact that over two crore tourists visited the Kashmir valley is the clearest evidence of that. The common man on the streets of the Kashmir Valley has been inspired and emboldened to come out and aspire for true democracy, Mr. Singh added. “No tourist would risk their family just by assurance handed out by the government or by a travel agency unless they get information from their own sources.”
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