Why no polls in J&K, asks PAGD spokesperson Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami

Communist leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Thursday asked the Centre to take the people of the country into confidence and explain why assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not being held as promised. He said while the polls are not a panacea for all the "ills" of Jammu and Kashmir under the present set up of a Union Territory, an elected government would provide some respite to the people.

"The present government at the Centre has gone hoarse claiming that normalcy has returned to Jammu and Kashmir and that all wrongs have been set right. Then, why are the elections being delayed?" said Tarigami, who is also a spokesman of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.

"The first excuse given was that the delimitation process had to be completed before the polls. They committed harakiri (suicide) while redrawing the constituencies to follow their agenda. Even then, they are not in a position to hold the elections," he said.


"If the government is not able to hold elections, it should tell the people of India the reasons for not doing so," he said.