New Delhi:
The people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have been living in a period of normalcy after the scrapping of the erstwhile state's special status, feel emboldened to pursue a real democracy, Union Minister Jitendra Singh told in an interview NDTV.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on April 12 in Udhampur in the Union Territory on restoration of statehood and holding of state elections, Mr Singh said it is the Opposition's false representation of the ground situation in the border state who misleads people.
Udhampur, where voting took place on April 19, is Singh's Lok Sabha constituency.
“Elections were taking place in Jammu and Kashmir for decades, but with a very small voting percentage. It was a mockery of democracy that we had a voting percentage of only about 10 percent. People would elect MPs and MLAs, especially from the Kashmir Valley. , and they would continue to become MPs, MLAs and ministers, generation after generation,” the Union Science and Technology Minister told NDTV.
“They have now cultivated a vested interest in continuing militancy. In the shadow of militancy and terrorism, they can hold tight elections with limited turnout, which would of course be managed by them, and then they would manage their victory, elections. after the elections,” Singh said, in what was also seen as a swipe at dynastic politics.
The Abdullah family of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference had been a strong political force in the region.
“Now that the area (Jammu and Kashmir) has opened up, I think this is in the true spirit of democracy that we have a huge turnout, which also happened in the District Development Council (DDC) elections,” said the Mr Singh.
The DDC elections were held after the Center scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019.
“We had a huge turnout even in the Kashmir Valley (DDC elections). The situation has changed dramatically for the better. The clearest proof of this is the fact that we had more than two million tourists in the Kashmir Valley. No tourist would risk their family just through government insurance, or through a travel agency, unless they get information from their own sources,” said Mr Singh, adding that this is the common man on the streets of Kashmir Valley has encouraged and encouraged her to come out. and strive for real democracy.