J&K Governor calls all-party meet, NC demands dissolution of Assembly, PDP-BJP silent

Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) along with other parties urged Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra to take some confidence-building measures (CBMs) besides carrying out a crackdown on corruption and cleaning the governance system.

The governor, who had called an all-party meet to seek the opinion of political representatives on the governance of the state, was apprised of their views by representatives of all political parties in the state.

The NC and other parties, including Panthers Party, also favoured an immediate dissolution of the state assembly and to make atmosphere conducive for holding early elections in the state, which has been placed under governor's rule earlier this week.

According to political sources, the former chief minister and vice president of NC Omar Abdullah urged upon the governor to take some confidence-building measures and also ensure that there was zero-tolerance towards the human rights violations. Abdullah hoped to see an improvement in governance as the administration had come in hands of the governor.

"Since no political party has the numbers to form the government and no combination of political parties has staked a claim for government formation, there is no option but to dissolve the assembly in order to prevent horse-trading and other such corrupt practices,” Harsh Dev Singh of Panthers Party told reporters in Srinagar.

He said his party and the NC demanded the dissolution of the assembly and holding of fresh elections at the all-party meeting. "While PDP representative Dilawar Mir favoured continuation of the assembly and allowing the MLAs to work, the BJP remained silent on the issue," he said.

Singh said it was only the political leadership which can resolve the issues as they were connected to the masses.

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir said his party took the stand that there was misrule during the last three years of the PDP-BJP government and appointments were made by the government while merit was ignored which led to injustice among the youth. He said the JKPCC also called for a change in the administration so that officials are accessible to the common masses.

G A Mir said while Congress favoured fresh polls, the party left the decision to the governor about the fate of assembly which is in suspended animation.

Democratic Nationalist Party chief G H Mir said the main aim of the all-party meeting was to find ways to improve the situation in the state and all political parties gave inputs on how to do it.

“The governor sought cooperation of the political parties in improving the situation. The main concern was that the impression of governor's rule being harsh needed to be countered and all the political parties gave their suggestions on how to counter it,” he said.

Vohra had on Thursday called the meeting of all party heads, including the heads of the state units of the national parties in Jammu and Kashmir, to discuss the situation in the state arising out of the implementation of the governor's rule after Mehbooba Mufti resigned following pull out of the BJP from the ruling coalition.

While NC vice-president Omar Abdullah represented his party, PDP was represented by its general secretary Dilawar Mir. Mehbooba Mufti met Vohra earlier in the day.