Jammu: Cautioning against a "complete collapse" of democratic system in Jammu and Kashmir, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Sunday said "governance in the state has been reduced to containment of anger through repression".
Addressing a meet of party workers here, he said: "We have a government that is isolated from the people and has lost its political character and moral authority to govern."
"A large part of anger among people has been caused by the inability of government to respond to their aspirations, channelise them and secure for them a place of dignity and honour within the union," the Peoples Democratic Party leader said.
Mufti said, because of "its numerical combination in the legislature the government might stay in existence but it is left with hardly any political influence or a claim to credibility and a virtual anarchy has taken over the state".
He meant that the ruling combine of National Conference and the Congress that accounts for 45 out of 87 members in the Legislative Assembly may not face numerical threat from the PDP which has only 21 members.
He regretted the way the institution of the Legislative Assembly has been undermined by the ruling alliance in Jammu and Kashmir where the opposition is silenced.
"The Assembly has been turned into a mock house with government instead of getting worried by opposition boycott feeling relieved at what it considers as a good riddance," he said, while maintaining that this attitude could have disastrous implications for the state.
He said it would push people further away from democratic system which had gained some respectability as a result of the rise of a strong opposition.
This was his reference to the boycott announced by the party for rest of the budget session early this week.
IANS
