Jammu, Oct 23: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik on Friday demanded that panchayat and other local elections be held without making them conditional on statehood restoration, while questioning the narrative surrounding the abrogation of Article 370.
Malik’s remarks came as Abdullah has been countering demands to hold local body elections by drawing parallel with the Centre’s delayed timeline on restoring statehood.
He also criticised the proposed Cabinet expansion and attacked the National Conference-led government over what he described as unfulfilled promises, lack of progress in education and healthcare, unemployment and inadequate compensation for frontline workers, including Special Police Officers (SPOs) and school cooks.
Speaking on Article 370 and 35A, Malik said terrorism and security threats had not ended after the constitutional provisions were abrogated in August 2019, arguing that the issue should be debated in the context of protecting the interests and identity of the people.
“A narrative was created across the country that terrorism existed because of Article 370. But terrorism still exists today. Security threats remain, and militancy continues. It did not end in 2019,” he told reporters here.
Malik described Article 370 as a protective safeguard for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and referred to special constitutional provisions available in other parts of the country under Article 371.
He said people should assess what changed in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019 and called for an informed debate on the issue.
“Kashmir does not belong exclusively to the Abdullahs or any particular political family. It belongs to the people,” he said, urging people to understand their rights and raise their concerns.
Hitting out at the chief minister, he said, ” Omar Abdullah did not have the strength to fight this battle. If he spoke up even for one day during these two years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir would ask: what difference would that make?”
He said Abdullah should use the mandate given by the people to press the Centre for statehood instead of making local elections contingent on its restoration.
“The anger over this issue should not be directed at the people. Abdullah himself must take up the fight,” Malik said, adding that the decision to defer grassroots elections would adversely affect people’s participation in local governance.
Questioning Abdullah’s position on panchayat elections, Malik said ordinary people should not suffer because of the Centre’s silence on restoring statehood.
“If you believe in the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, elections must be held here—whether for District Development Councils, Block Development Councils, or the Panchayati Raj institutions, including elections for sarpanches and panches,” he said.
Malik argued that grassroots representatives were important because ordinary people could not approach ministers for every local grievance.
Elected representatives, he said, could help address people’s problems and check what he described as bureaucratic high-handedness.
On the proposed Cabinet expansion, Malik questioned what additional ministers would achieve when, according to him, the government had failed to make significant improvements in education and healthcare.
“What difference will a Cabinet expansion make? There is already a Health Minister and a minister handling the Roads and Buildings portfolio. What have they done? Our demands remain the same: improve education and healthcare, but that has not happened,” he said.
Malik asked whether the expansion would bring any tangible change to the lives of people, arguing that the focus should be on governance and delivery of public services rather than the number of ministers.
The AAP MLA also alleged that bureaucratic hurdles were obstructing development work and preventing public money from reaching its intended beneficiaries.
He said people had the right to question the government if they had not witnessed improvements during its two years in office.
Malik called for greater accountability from elected representatives and said the AAP would tour every district of Jammu and Kashmir to question them about their performance and contribution to public welfare.
“We will tour every district and ask the elected representatives what they have done to improve Jammu and Kashmir and the lives of its people,” he said.
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