PDP Chief Slams Centre's J&K Amendments, Terms Life in Valley 'Hell'

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti strongly criticized the Centre's new ordinance amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, stating it renders the local assembly powerless and makes life in the Valley unbearable. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah echoed concerns of a powerless Chief Minister, hinting at imminent assembly elections.

In a fervent critique, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti condemned the Centre's recent ordinance amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, calling it a move that has 'snatched everything' from the people and made their lives 'hell.' Mufti's video message accused the government of stripping the most powerful assembly in the country of its authority, reducing it to a mere municipality. She lamented that any future government in J&K would be powerless, with key decisions centralized to the Chief Secretary and the Lieutenant Governor, who she noted, 'comes from outside and knows nothing about this place.'

Adding to the political outcry, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said the amendments would leave the new Chief Minister 'powerless,' indicative of impending elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah stressed the necessity of a commitment to full statehood before any polls, arguing that the people deserve better than a powerless Chief Minister who would have no real authority and would merely serve as a 'rubber stamp.'

On the legislative front, President Droupadi Murmu has approved the amendments under section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, with a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs stating the amendments would take effect from July 12. Government sources clarified that the changes were merely clarificatory, aligning with provisions pre-existing in the State Reorganization Act of 2019 and not introducing any new directives.