Governor’s decision to dissolve Jammu and Kashmir assembly unconstitutional, says Tarigami

Srinagar: CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Thursday said the decision of Governor Satya Pal Malik to dissolve the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was “taken in haste and not keeping in mind the constitutional spirit.”

“Why was not the Assembly dissolved when the previous coalition government fell in June? Probably to find possibilities to form a new alliance,” Tarigami said in a statement issued today.

He said when major political parties started consultations for the government formation and when PDP, which was the single largest party in the outgoing Assembly, reportedly staked claim to form the government, the Assembly was dissolved in haste.

“The options before the Governor were to provide them an opportunity to be heard and discuss the contours of the new alliance with them. But the BJP Government in Delhi got so unnerved with the talks for formation of a popular government in infancy stage, that they dissolved the state assembly,” he said.

“Unfortunately constitutional procedures were not followed. The Governor, who had declared days ago that the assembly would not be dissolved, lost no time in going for dissolution,” he said.

He said such practice has been followed in the past too.

“This procedure has been adopted in the past also which eroded the trust of common people in democratic institutions. May be the Governor took the decision on the instructions of ruling party in New Delhi. Unfortunately, whatever suites ruling party in Delhi is being imposed in Jammu and Kashmir and Governor’s latest step only confirms it,” he added.