New political party offers new democratic option: Jitendra Singh
Kathua: Every new political party offers a new democratic option and therefore, all those having faith in democracy should welcome it, Union Minister and BJP leader Jitendra Singh said on Saturday.
He said this without naming rebel Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir finance minister Altaf Bukhari who is expected to launch his own party in Srinagar on Sunday.
Many prominent PDP, Congress and National Conference leaders are expected to join the businessman-turned-politician's outfit.
"Citizens have the right to be offered different options in a democracy, so that they can decide and accordingly elect what they think is the best for them," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Without directly referring to reports of the new political outfit Jammu Kashmir Apni Party, he said every new political party offers a new democratic option. Therefore, all those having faith in democracy should welcome it, the Union minister said.
To that extent, Singh said, every individual or a group of individuals also enjoy the prerogative to float a political outfit and try their luck at the hustings by campaigning about their programmes, manifesto and agenda, as long as it does not violate the framework of the Constitution or does not seek to create strife or disharmony in society.
His statements came amid resignation of two senior Congress leaders from the primary membership of the party and a statement by Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) advising Jammu-based leaders to desist from the 'Faustian bargain' by joining the party of defectors. The Congress leaders are likely to join Bukhari.
Singh said after the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir last year, the message should go out loud and clear that the political hierarchy of Jammu and Kashmir will no longer be monopolized or confined only to a handful of individuals or families and dynasties.
On August 5 last year, the Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, which came into existence on October 31 midnight in 2019.
The Congress leaders who have resigned from the party's primary membership are former minister and Congress Samba district president Sardar Manjit Singh and district president Jammu (urban) Vikram Malhotra.
JKNPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh expressed dismay over the decision of "some Jammu-based leaders to join a Kashmir-centric party" and said the political opportunism seemed to have touched a new low.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
