Senior CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam said on Tuesday that Jammu and Kashmir’s elected Assembly has been effectively weakened, despite a public mandate delivered after elections held following a seven-year gap.
Speaking during a discussion on the lieutenant governor’s address in the Assembly, Tarigami said that while the address acknowledged the mandate of the people, the authority of elected representatives remained curtailed in practice.
Tarigami said ministers themselves had publicly stated that they felt disempowered, adding that the sentiment was widely shared across party lines. He said officers were often seen as unresponsive to legislators, a concern privately echoed by members from both the ruling alliance and the opposition.
“If this situation continues, then what is the meaning of a Union Territory?” Tarigami said, urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to convene an all-party meeting to examine why the Assembly was being weakened despite what he called a historic mandate.
He also flagged Jammu and Kashmir’s ecological vulnerability, describing the region’s ecosystem as “extremely fragile,” and called on the government to introduce a separate climate budget, similar to those adopted by some Indian states.
Raising concerns over unemployment, Tarigami said joblessness in the region remained among the highest in the country and questioned the effectiveness of existing employment measures, urging the government to make job creation a priority.
On reservation policy, he said affirmative action was a right of socially underprivileged groups but warned that ignoring meritorious students could lead to unrest. He sought a detailed Assembly debate and clarity on when a committee’s report on reservation rationalisation would be implemented.
Tarigami said relief and rehabilitation efforts following recent floods had been inadequate, noting damage to homes, apple orchards and crops, and called for greater assistance to affected families.
He also criticised what he described as indiscriminate security actions in the Valley, including detentions over minor or unverified allegations. While stressing that there should be no compromise on security, he said excessive harassment risked eroding public trust.
Questioning the detention of individuals under the Public Safety Act, including an MLA, Tarigami urged authorities to avoid prolonged and unnecessary detentions and to bring detainees held outside the region back to local courts.
He further criticised demolition drives, saying any such action must follow due process, including prior notice and an opportunity for those affected to be heard.
Concluding his remarks, Tarigami said Jammu and Kashmir should be seen as a test of Indian democracy rather than a favour, and called on authorities to strengthen democratic institutions, restore public confidence and address governance, employment and disaster relief challenges.
