This story is from February 15, 2020

JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Congress on Saturday criticised the administration for slapping the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) on mainstream politicians in the Valley, accusing the BJP of using "pressure tactics" against its opponents.

"It is not only about Valley, the BJP government is implicating anyone who is opposing its policies throughout the country and is misusing the laws like PSA which is most abused over the past four decades," Congress state president G A Mir told reporters during a protest demonstration here.

Mir, who led the demonstration in support of continuation of the reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) outside the party headquarters, said those who were slapped with the PSA have worked with the BJP in the past at the Centre and in the erstwhile state.

"( National Conference vice president) Omar Abdullah was a Union minister in the A B Vajpayee-led BJP government at the Centre, while (PDP president) Mehbooba Mufti shared a plate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the PDP-BJP government in the erstwhile state," he said.

Mir was responding to a question about the slapping of the PSA on former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal .

He said the BJP was using "pressure tactics" against its opponents throughout the country and slapping of the PSA against mainstream leaders in J&K tantamounts to trampling of democracy.

"It (BJP) will not get any benefit from this formula and when the time will come, the people of Jammu and Kashmir will make the right decision."

On the eight-phase by-election to over 12,500 vacant panchayat seats in Jammu and Kashmir from March 5, Mir questioned the timing of the polls and the decision to conduct the elections on party-basis.

"About 70 to 75 percent (panchayat) vacancies have been filled in 2018 elections on non-party basis and now they want to conduct the elections of the vacant seats on party basis....the government should correct the current notification to hold elections on party basis or declare the earlier polls conducted at the end of 2018 as invalid," he said.

The Congress leader said he is representing the rank and file of the party in the UT and when his representatives are barred from doing any political activity in Kashmir, where most of the seats are lying vacant, what type of elections they are going to conduct.

"It is merely an eyewash," he said, adding "in such a scenario, what is the option available with us other than boycotting the polls? Then they criticise us for boycotting the democratic exercise".

He alleged that the BJP government and its parent organisation RSS is adamant in ending reservations for the economically and socially poor citizens of the country.

"The Congress has taken to the roads to give an assurance to the reserved categories that it will not allow the ruling party to snatch the constitutional rights from the poor whatever the consequences," Mir said.

He alleged that the BJP "marketed hollow promises" to remain in power but is "getting exposed with each passing day".

