ibn sultan
Srinagar, Jan 3: The Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) on Saturday alleged that the administration did not allow its proposed peaceful sit-in against recent amendments to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Kupwara district.
AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said senior party leaders, including Langate MLA Sheikh Khursheed, party spokesperson Peerzada Firdouse Baba and DDC member Muzaffar Dar, were placed under house arrest to prevent the protest.
He said the sit-in was planned to highlight concerns that the amendments to MGNREGA were affecting rural livelihoods, particularly those of poor and marginalised communities dependent on the scheme for employment.
“Raising issues related to employment, wages and job security under MGNREGA is not a crime. Preventing peaceful protest undermines democratic norms,” Nabi said.
He appealed to the administration to allow the party’s proposed protest scheduled for Monday in Baramulla, stating that restrictions and house arrests were not conducive to democratic functioning.
Nabi said denying space for peaceful protest could lead to public distrust and negatively impact governance.(KNS).
