Democracy Being Crushed, Constitution Undermined: Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar, August 5 : PDP President and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, on Tuesday criticized the Central Government for abrogating Article 370, calling it a direct attack on democracy and the Constitution.
According to KNS, Mehbooba Mufti said, “Today is not just a black day for Jammu and Kashmir, but for the entire country. What was done here in 2019 is now slowly spreading across India.”
Speaking during a protest gathering, Mufti described how peaceful assembly was blocked by heavy deployment of forces. “We wanted to step outside peacefully, but the gates were locked and the area was surrounded by thousands of police and army personnel,” she said.
She alleged that the Indian Parliament used its brute majority to strike down J&K’s special status, violating the essence of the Constitution. “They have passed laws that have no place in the Constitution. Even the judiciary has been weakened,” she added.
Calling J&K a “laboratory of constitutional erosion,” Mufti warned that the same treatment could be extended to other parts of the country. “You may think this is only our fight, but if democratic rights continue to be denied here, soon no one in the country will be safe from this model of governance,” she said.
Mehbooba also accused the government of silencing elected representatives and disconnecting the people from democratic processes. “When you take away the vote and voice of millions, democracy ceases to exist,” she said. (KNS)
