Jitendra Singh talks to NDTV about J&K statehood, opposition’s ‘vested interests’

New Delhi:

Jammu and Kashmir Minister Jitendra Singh said in an interview with New Delhi TV that the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel encouraged to seek true democracy after their lives became normal after the special status of the erstwhile state was revoked.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on restoring statehood and holding state elections in the Union Territory of Udhampur on April 12, Singh said it was the opposition’s misunderstanding of the actual situation in the border states. False descriptions mislead people.

Udhampur, where polls are held on April 19, is Mr. Singh’s Lok Sabha constituency.

“Jammu and Kashmir have been holding elections for decades but the turnout has been very low. Our turnout is around 10 per cent which is a mockery of democracy. People elect MPs and MLAs, especially from the Kashmir Valley. MPs and MLAs, they will become MPs, MLAs, ministers generation after generation,” the federal science and technology minister told New Delhi TV.

“They have now developed a vested interest in continuing to fight. In the shadow of fighting and terrorism, they can have close elections with limited voter turnout, which of course is managed by them, and then they will manage their Victory, post-election,” Singh said in what was seen as a swipe at dynastic politics.

The Abdullah family of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference has been a powerful political force in the region.

“Now that (Jammu and Kashmir) has opened up, I think we have such a high turnout, which is the true spirit of democracy and this happened in the District Development Council (DDC) elections as well,” Mr Singh said.

The DDC elections were held after the Center revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019.

“Even in Kashmir Valley, our voter turnout (DDC elections) was very high. The situation has improved dramatically. The most obvious evidence of this is the fact that there are over two crore tourists in Kashmir Valley. No tourist will risk their family and have to rely only on the government or The assurances provided by travel agencies unless they get the information from their own sources,” Mr. Singh said, adding that this is what encourages and encourages the common man on the streets of Kashmir Valley to come forward and aspire for true democracy.