Left parties on Tuesday staged a demonstration in front of the Head Post Office on Rangapillai Street to protest against the Centre’s decision to withdraw the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories.
Leaders belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) wearing black badges staged a demonstration to condemn the “anti-democratic” methods adopted by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.
Addressing the cadres, CPI(M) Puducherry unit secretary R. Rajangam said the latest development showed BJP’s “scant regard for federalism and anti-democratic mindset.” The State of Jammu and Kashmir was accorded special status taking into account its significance. Now, without consulting political parties or the State government, the Centre had taken away the special status accorded to the State. The decision would have a far-reaching consequences on the country’s constitutional framework, he added.
The move by the Centre was against the spirit of the Constitution and “murder” of democracy. The Constitution itself was under threat, he said.
Former legislator and CPI leader N. Kalainathan said the country had not witnessed such an undemocratic step in recent times. It was an arbitrary decision to serve the RSS agenda, he added.
Kannan hails move
Former Member of Parliament P. Kannan on Tuesday welcomed the Centre’s decision to amend article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, he said, “I support the Central government’s stand. I would have been much more happier if parliamentary procedures had been followed. However, I support this good move for the peace of society.”
‘Murder of democracy’
CPI (M) state secretary K. Balakrishnan told presspersons in Villupuram that the abrogation of Article 370 was a clear case of ‘murder of democracy’.
The adoption of the Bill for Reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir by the BJP headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) holds out big challenges to the sovereignty of the Constitution.
Instead of concentrating on real issues such as agrarian distress, rampant unemployment and closure of industries across the country, the Centre was diverting everyone’s attention by scrapping Article 370 and Article 35 A.
The unemployment rate is at a 40-year high while industries have been closed in several parts of the country. The stock markets have been witnessing a steep decline which has struck at the root of the economy, he said.
Mr. Balakrishnan said that the ill-conceived draft New Education Policy seeks to deprive students from rural areas of their right to education. The policy would infringe on the rights of the States on education.
The Left parties had taken up a massive signature campaign to register strong protest against the injurious policies of the Centre. The DMK will win in the upcoming Lok Sabha election to the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency, he added.