The Congress on Thursday accused the Modi government of pushing Jammu and Kashmir into a cycle of violence, "bereft of democratic institutions", and slammed the decision of the Governor to dissolve the state assembly as "unconstitutional and unethical".
The opposition party also demanded early elections in the state to set in motion the democratic process so that the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions get a people's government.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram took a swipe at Governor Satyapal Malik over the decision to dissolve the J-K Assembly, saying that parliamentary democracy was standing on its head and the "Gujarat model" has appealed to him more than the "Westminster model" that India follows.
"As long as no one staked a claim to form government, J-K governor was happy to keep Assembly under suspension. The moment someone staked a claim, he dissolved the Assembly. Parliamentary democracy standing on its head," he tweeted.
"The Westminster model of democracy is outdated. Like in all other matters, it is the Gujarat model that has appealed to the J&K governor," Chidambaram added.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged the decision to impose Governor's rule is nothing short of the BJP "ruling forcibly" through proxy in the state while party leader Manish Tewari termed it as "unconstitutional, immoral and unethical".
Tewari said that after the PDP, the NC and the Congress staked claim to form government, the governor's decision to dissolve the assembly without giving them a chance to form government and prove a majority "is murder of democracy and must be challenged in court".
"Dissolution of assembly in this manner is unconstitutional, immoral and unethical. A dangerous harbinger of things to come. Thank God founding fathers were wise enough not to provide for president's rule at Centre? Shudder to think what could have happened when BJP loses 2019," he tweeted.
Surjewala tweeted: "Modi Government has pushed Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh into an unending cycle of violence bereft of democratic institutions."
"The Congress demands that the people of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh deserve a rule by people - a people's Government. For that, democratic process must be set in motion and early elections must be held which is the only way of restoring normalcy and to end the unending cycle of violence that Modi Government has pushed it into," he said.
Responding to the Governor's statement, he asked, "Is the Governor of J&K Satyapal Malik speaking as a representative of BJP, Spokesperson of BJP or as a protector and defender of the Constitution of India in Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh, which is his primary responsibility."
"Will Satyapal Malik answer was it not an unholy alliance when Modi Ji entered into an alliance with PDP," he said, adding neither PDP nor BJP had got majority to rule at that time.
The Congress leader also responded to BJP leader Ram Madhav, saying he was the architect of that PDP-BJP alliance.
"Did he receive instructions from across the border when he constituted that unholy alliance when in the presence of Modi Ji and Ram Madhav Ji, thanks were given to separatists and Pakistan for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, instead of our Army and people of J&K were they getting instructions from across the border," he asked.
Tewari also challenged the BJP to name even one leader "martyred in the fight against terror", after it accused the Congress, the National Conference, and J&K People's Democratic Party of being "terror friendly".
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