PDP’s senior leader and Political Advisor to President Mehbooba Mufti Peerzada Mansoor Hussain Tuesday took potshots at the former chief minister and NC’s Working President Omar Abdullah for suppressing youth and blamed him for making Burhan Wani, young Hizbul Mujahideen commander, as “icon of the youth” in the state.“The Omar Abdullah-led NC-Congress coalition could not connect with the youth in their six-year rule. They suppressed the youth due to which a young man, Burhan, took up the gun. Today, Burhan is looked at by the youth as their icon,” Mansoor said while addressing a public gathering in SK Municipal Park here after the Chief Minister inaugurated a flyover construction work near Zero Bridge here.“It was due to your suppression of the youth that Burhan picked up the gun and become youth icon. He could have become Shah Faesal and today would have been director education or DC. But he could not as your government had only anti-youth policies,” Mansoor said, while referring to former chief minister and NC’s Working President Omar Abdullah.
Mansoor said that the NC government also could not arrest any police man for “killing young boys” in 201o and 2011.“In 2010, 120 youth were killed. They were young boys studying in Class 10, 11 or 12. They had no guns and grenades in their hands. How many policemen were arrested? How many were jailed? Why are you teaching us new lessons today? It was due to you that we are facing the problems today,” he said.Justifying the PDP’s alliance with the BJP, he said PDP was compelled to ally as “we did not have required numbers” to form the government.“Most of our senior members lost the election. We won less seats as expected. So we had to cobble up the alliance with BJP,” he said, adding that there is no difference between BJP and Congress.
“During Congress rule, Maqbool Bhat and Afzal Guru were hanged. We should differentiate between right and wrong,” Mansoor said while taking a dig at the opposition for criticizing PDP’s alliance with the saffron party.
“Congress won 12 seats and all are Muslim constituencies and none is from Hindu constituency. When we say Jammu and Kashmir, we have to take all the three regions into consideration,” he said.He recalled that NC joined hands with the BJP before the PDP when Omar was given the ministry in NDA-government.“Now, they taunt us. But who was a minister in BJP government when their government was having majority here? We were helpless but why did you become part of the BJP,” he asked, referring to NC.He said that now PDP led by Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed has taken the responsibility to bring peace and development in the state. (KNS)