Delimitation: Can’t be part of anything which we opposed before SC, says Masoodi

SRINAGAR — National Conference Member Parliament retired justice Hasnain Masoodi on Friday said he won’t be part of delimitation commission set-up by the Government of India for fixing boundaries of Assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir.

LS Speaker Om Birla on Thursday nominated three NC MPs – Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Justice (retd.) Hasnain Masoodi and Muhammad Akbar Lone – as associate members of delimitation commission.

NC MP Hasnain Masoodi said, “Law says MPs of those States and Union territories have to be associated members of the commission where delimitation is taking place. There was no consultation with us,” Masoodi said.

“They nominated us as per the law and now it is for us to decide how we should react. Individually, I can’t be part of anything which is questioned and opposed by us before SC,” he added.

Another NC MP, Mohammad Akbar Lone said they have been nominated without their consultation. “We have to decide now whether to be part of the commission. So far NC is concerned, our stand is clear that we won’t be part of any political activity till all political leaders are released,” Lone said.

The government had on 06 March constituted the commission, to be headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, to redraw Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

The National Conference is against the exercise and the Reorganisation Act since it is a consequence of the scrapping of Article 370, carried out last year by the Centre.