Self Rule

In the recently concluded J&K State assembly elections, 2014, the people of the State have voted overwhelmingly and in favour of the democratic system. This shows a growing recognition and acceptance among people that participating in the free and fair electoral process is the only option The results of these elections have been judged as fractured and indecisive by everyone. The reality is that it is not the mandate of political parties that is fractured; it is the polity of J&K that is fractured Instead of being judgmental about these electoral results, the PDP and the BJP have made efforts to understand the verdict in all its complexity The reality on the ground, even if complex and complicated, needs to be faced politically not numerically. That is the real challenge. The PDP and the BJP have decided to bring together their political and legislative resources to convert this complex challenge into an opportunity

State Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu presented his maiden state budget on March 22, 2015 for Jammu and Kashmir. It is also the first budget led by the BJP-PDP coalition government. The budget ensured economic self-reliance and fiscal autonomy. The total expenditure budgeted is 46,473 crore Rupees out of which 35,227 crore Rupees are secured for current or revenue expenditure and remaining is for building assets.

The J&K PDP seeks participation of people in the elections to strengthen the democratic process so that the institutions of democracy create conditions that will facilitate resolution of the J&K issue and bring about self sustaining development across all the three regions of the state.

The Peoples Democratic Party prepares and offers this working paper on J&K as an act of hope. The hope lays in the belief that if the decision-makers and responsible political parties discern the categorical imperatives that have impelled this formulation, realize its intent and motive and examine its contents on merits, objectively and realistically, and not on partisan considerations or with chauvinistic mind-set, it will be possible to forge a consensus on the way forward.

Parliamentary Elections for the people of J&K, who get to elect only 6 out of the 543 members, is not about making alliances to be in power. Given J&K’s unique position in the country, the principal role of the regional political parties of the state is to make the Parliament of India a forum for representing the “Kashmir issue” at the national level.