Promises made by Centre while abrogating Article 370 proved to be a mirage: CPI(M)

CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday said all the promises made by the Centre at the time of abrogating article 370 last year proved to be a mirage.

"It has been a year since BJP government scrapped J&K's special status under Article 370 , 35A demoted the erstwhile state into two Union Territories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah justified the decision on the floor of the house, that it would end decades-long militancy, separatism and corruption in the region and bring development, jobs and prosperity, Tarigami said in a statement on the eve of first anniversary of revocation of Article 370

"However, one year down the line, promises proved to be a mirage and the claims a hoax. None of the aforementioned claims pass the test of reality," he said. The CPI(M) leader questioned the use of acts like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) if the security scenario had improved in Jammu and Kashmir.

"If violence has really come down and the security scenario has improved, then why does the administration resort to a muscular approach of silencing the voices of the population by arbitrarily booking its people and detaining youth under draconian laws like UAPA, PSA," he asked.

Tarigami also questioned the government over its claims of job creation and investments in the region when Article 370 was revoked.

"The reality is that lakhs of people have lost their jobs due to the lockdowns and uncertainty in the region. Forget about development and creating new employment opportunities, thousands of daily-wagers, casual labourers, scheme workers and others have been denied wages for months together," he added.

He said businesses have been shattered in the last year both in Jammu and Kashmir provinces and the economy's back has been broken.

"Not only people of the Valley, but residents of Jammu and Ladakh regions too are suffering because of the wrong policies of the BJP government. The uncertainties and uneasy calm combined with alienation poses a greater threat to the sociopolitics of the state," he said.

Tarigami said the only thing that the revocation of Article 370 has achieved so far is a "complete abrogation of democracy in J&K and an unconscionable suppression of civil and democratic rights".

"On this dark anniversary and at this critical juncture of our history we must resolve to unitedly safe guard the interests of our people and resist the attempts of the government to throttle democracy and rights of the people," he added.