The People's Democratic Party staged a demonstration in Srinagar and Jammu on Tuesday, accusing the Omar Abdullah government of “failing on all fronts,” from basic amenities to citizens' safety.
In Srinagar, party president Mehbooba Mufti led the protesters, who carried, besides placards, lanterns to highlight the “complete breakdown” of power supply in the State, especially the Kashmir Valley. In Jammu, where the former MP and party vice-president, Trilok Singh Bajwa, spearheaded the agitation, the police resorted to baton-charge to break up the procession from the party headquarters.
The party also protested the non-availability of cooking gas, kerosene and other essential commodities and demanded that the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) return the projects that had been “gifted” by the National Conference to the Centre to secure its rule.
Ms. Mehbooba said the State government's failure had brought misery to the people and reversed the gains the State had made. The PDP had deliberately adopted a low profile in the past three months, hoping that the government would have learnt something from its debacle, which caused the alienation of the people and the loss of 112 lives.
It hoped that the Centre's eight-point agenda would bring some relief to the common man. “But the so-called agenda proved yet another cruel joke, which was implemented only in breach,” she said. Instead of releasing the political detainees, more were being arrested. Kashmiri youths were being “hounded” in and outside the State.
The power crisis had affected all sections, Ms. Mehbooba said. “We believe that power is a fundamental right of the people, especially [those living] in extreme climatic conditions…” On the one hand, electricity had disappeared, with some areas getting just one hour of supply every day, while on the other, cooking gas and kerosene had become scarce. The same was the case with water and food items. The public distribution system had almost collapsed as its stocks were being pilfered and sold in the black market.
