Yechury bats for early J&K polls

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 19

CPM head Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday batted for holding of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest.

Participating in a meeting of heads of political parties convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss various issues, including “One nation, one election”, Yechury said alienation of the people of Kashmir must be addressed and elections would be an important way to restore their confidence in the democratic process.

“If the conditions were conducive for holding of the parliamentary elections, we see no reason for the Assembly poll not being held,” Yechury said in a note which he submitted at the meeting.

He expressed concern that terrorist attacks were continuing in the state post-Pulwama suicide bombing.

He suggested to Modi that the hype on the IAF strike at a terrorist camp in Balakot had no deterrent effect on terrorists. Hence, winning people’s confidence was imperative, and holding of early Assembly elections would be prudent, he said.

J&K had plunged into crisis after the saffron party walked out of the PDP-BJP coalition government leading to its fall, last year.