Constitution subverted to bifurcate J&K: Azad

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 5/31/2020 11:16:58 PM

‘Every institution used to further political purposes of BJP‘

NEW DELHI, May 31: The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that the Prime Minister Modi-led government had subverted the constitution of India to divide the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.
“The Constitution was subverted when the state of Jammu and Kashmir was divided, taking the entire world by surprise. This move destroyed the state politically and economically. The entire state was put under an unprecedented curfew, citizens’ rights were taken away and hundreds of leaders, including former chief ministers, were arrested,” Azad writes in an opinion piece published in The Indian Express as the Narendra Modi-led BJP government completes one year of its second successive term in office
The centre on August 5, 2019 scrapped Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“On the economic front, the government’s failure has been pervasive. The January 2020 forecast by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation was that the Indian economy will grow at less than 5 per cent. The growth rate this year is the lowest in 11 years,” he writes.
He further writes that the cascading effects of demonetisation continue to hurt business and cause job losses. The consistent fall in demand has affected all sectors. “Yet, team Modi has not been able to offer a single solution to bring the economy back on the path of growth,” reads the opinion piece written by Azad.
Adding to this crisis is the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic itself is a massive challenge, its impact on the economy is going to be long-lasting.
“The rate of unemployment has crossed all previous records, which the government has accepted. According to one estimate, in April 2020 alone, 12 crore people lost their jobs — the highest figure in almost half a century. Perhaps some of these troubles could have been mitigated had the Modi government listened to the opposition,” he writes.
“Had the lockdown been announced earlier, perhaps it would have helped to arrest the Coronavirus threat. But the Modi-Shah duo wanted to topple the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh and capture power there. In the process, they put the entire nation at risk. Today, MP is among the top states in the grip of the pandemic,” reads the article.
“And when the government did impose a lockdown, it did so without preparation, warning or planning. The economy was brought to a sudden halt. Millions of migrant workers were left to their fate. They faced hunger, starvation, infection and death,” he claims.
“There was no support for migrants in cities, and to survive, millions marched on foot to their villages hundreds of kilometres away. Many died before they reached the safety of their homes. The abject apathy of the Modi-government towards suffering migrant workers has exposed its anti-poor attitude. Despite repeated demands by the Congress, the Modi-government is yet to offer any economic aid to these hungry, jobless poor workers,” reads the opinion.
He further writes that the congress demands that the Modi-government immediately release direct financial support and provide immediate assistance to migrant workers in distress till the MSME sector is back on its feet and can offer the dignity of jobs once again to this crucial workforce.

 

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