Tarigami Condemns Empowerment of IIOJK Lt. Governor by Modi Government

Condemnation of making the Lieutenant Governor of occupied Jammu and Kashmir all-powerful by the Narendra Modi-led Indian government continues to pour in. The latest to join is the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami.

Speaking to the media in Srinagar, Tarigami termed the Indian government’s amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, as an assault on the rights of Kashmiris. He highlighted that the amendments delegate almost all powers to the Lt. Governor.

“The Lt. Governor is not an elected representative, but a directive from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs has empowered him. This is another assault on the constitutional rights of the people of IIOJK,” said Tarigami.

He emphasized that the amendments further disempower the elected assembly and significantly undermine the powers of an elected government. “The new cabinet will have limited powers, and the LG can even transfer an officer,” he added.

Tarigami stated that this amendment to the Reorganisation Act amounts to a repeated betrayal of the BJP government’s promises regarding the restoration of full statehood to IIOJK. He demanded the immediate revocation of the Indian government’s move.

The CPI-M leader called on all sections of the population and political parties to unite and raise their voices against this draconian order by the BJP-led Indian Government.