Government seeking ‘security solution’ to political problem: Tarigami
Jammu: Asserting that “tough posturing” is the key word of the government’s Kashmir policy, CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami today said the Centre and state are desperately seeking “security solution” of a fundamentally political problem and is bound not to succeed.
“The killing of unarmed civilians and indiscriminate lathicharge as experienced by NHM employees yesterday in Jammu has become order of the day. This is the Kashmir policy of this government, use force to crush people,” he told the Assembly.
“Tough is the key word in its Kashmir policy. The governments, particularly, the central government is desperately seeking the security solution of a fundamentally political problem which is bound not to succeed,” Tarigami said.
The CPI(M) MLA said restricting movement of Hurriyat leaders will not help ease the situation.
“This government, instead of considering revocation of AFSPA and withdrawing of PSA, has added more draconian laws like gag on employees in expressing views on government policy and JK Public Property (Prevention of damage) Ordinance 2017”, he said.
Tarigami castigated government over prolonged house arrest of separatist leaders and slapping PSAs on Masrat Alam. Tarigami said Alam was given a degree of ‘slaps’.
“Masarat Alam ne bahut badi degree haasil ki hai PSA ki (Masarat has earned a degree in PSAs) and I am surprised that every day you release him and book him under another PSA,” he said.
He castigated the government for putting resistance leaders under house detention.
“How long will you keep Geelani, Mirwaiz and Yasin Malik under detention,” he asked.
He said the government didn’t learn lesson from former CM Ghulam Muhammad Sadiq who said prolonged detention will have adverse consequences for the state.
He castigated the government saying that it was a systematic failure right from Delhi to Srinagar to run the system properly.
“We are giving authority to a CRPF man which should have been done by this house,” he said, and questioned that wasn’t there any other option with PM than lathi.
He questioned the failure of successive regimes in New Delhi and J&K state for not taking forward the dialogue process to resolve the Kashmir issue.
“If everyone is talking about dialogue then why it is not moving ahead. Mufti talked, Mehbooba talks, Chidambaram talks about dialogue but I fail to understand why it is not being taken forward,” Tarigami told the House.
“No serious efforts are being taken to solve the Kashmir issue,” he said.
Talking about the governance, he said government was taking credit of felicitating Insha after taking away her vision. “There are dozens of Inshas and hundreds of our youngsters who are facing the bullets and pellets in our state,” he said.
Tarigami came down heavily on government for issuing gag order on employees to use social media.
“Why can’t NHM employees use social media and why can’t employees use social whom you have given hollow promises of 7th pay commission,” Tarigami said.
“The Chief Minister is talking about many things, but she has not so far expressed the required will to ban the use of pellets which created havoc and blinded many in the state”, he added.
Tarigami said, “We have been consistently demanding that the House should discuss this situation but we are not being permitted to do so. In my view, this is the result of the policy pursued by the BJP government at the Centre and the coalition government of the state”.
He alleged that governance in the state is virtually at the “lowest ebb” and institutions like legislature, district development boards and other forums are “gradually being made irrelevant.
Tarigami said, “While Kashmir continues to reel under frozen temperatures and people in Jammu suffer during the summers because of non-availability of sufficient energy. But in our state over Rs 5,000 crore meant for upgradation of power infrastructure remains unutilised.”
He alleged that corruption was rampant at every level and nearly 11 lakh kanals of state, nazool, evacuee property land continue to remain under encroachment.
Tarigami urged the Chief Minister to initiate the process of empowering women by tabling a bill for their reservation in the legislature.