Launching a scathing attack on BJP, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and former Chief Minister of J&K, Ghulam Nabi Azad said the party which could not keep eleven MLAs together has no moral right to make ‘misleading’ claims of achieving 44 seats in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.“BJP’s real face got exposed before the people of the Jammu when its half a dozen MLAs betrayed their trust by selling votes in the MLC elections. Two groups of BJP kept operating in J&K for years and the BJP, in line with its opportunistic credentials, maintained criminal silence instead of taking action against its corrupt leaders,” Azad said while addressing public meetings at Dangerpora, Sopore and Nadihal, Rafiabad to garner support for the candidates of Congress.
He said the BJP re-inducted the known ‘corrupt’ MLAs before the Parliament elections and denied tickets to almost all of them in the Assembly elections, adding that “the regional parties which have developed new found love for BJP should also know what humiliation they have meted out to their old ally and ideological sister in Maharashtra.”Azad again reiterated that Congress has the conviction and commitment to defeat the ‘pisive’ agenda of BJP, adding that “people of the State, in the interest of speedy development, inter-regional amity and communal harmony have decided to give a decisive mandate to Congress.”
Ridiculing the BJP claims that Prime Minister will address a gathering of one lakh people in Kashmir on December 8, the Congress leader said, “This is not misleading but preposterous, as BJP in its desperation to gain power has perhaps decided to beat the record of Joseph Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister of Hitler’s regime.”“When the capacity of the mini-stadium wherein Prime Minister is supposed to address the public meeting is five thousand only, how come BJP is claiming to accommodate one lakh people is a mystery for the people of the State,” he said adding that if the podium will be erected for the Prime Minister, the capacity will further be reduced to 3000/4000.
Taking a jibe at BJP, he said, “BJP alone which can make one lakh out of 4000/5000 people, the way they have been misleading the people of the country about Article 370 for the last sixty years.”
Cautioning the people of the Sate to remain vigilant about certain so-called “mullahs” who have arrived in Kashmir Valley to canvass for BJP, Azad asked where were these ‘hired mullahs’, when the people of Kashmir were braving bullets, suffering insults and fighting militancy.“Where were these mullahs when entire Kashmir was submerged in the worst floods of the century and people of Kashmir were faced with an extraordinary and difficult situation? How come suddenly they have become well-wishers of the people of Kashmir,” Azad asked.“If these mullahs are moving from place to place in J&K State, it clearly shows that they are having some vested interest, otherwise what for they are roaming from place to place for the past one month?” he asked.
Lashing out at regional parties, Azad said, “They are habitual of raising bogies of ‘Self-Rule’, ‘Autonomy’ and other sentimental issues as and when elections arrive, and conveniently forget about them once they attain power.”“These regional parties have always misled the people of the State by raking up emotional issues and selling dreams, and as such people in general and youth in particular, are fed up with their ravings and ranting,” the Congress leader said.“Regional parties by their narrow, sectarian and region-centric agenda have always sharpened the fissures within the State, thus giving a chance to the communal forces to promote their pisive agenda,” he alleged.Azad said that people of the State want development and progress and youth of the State need job opportunities, and regional parties persistently make attempts to exploit the sentiments of the people.
He said, “at this juncture we need a government which has proven credentials of development and good governance, as youth of the State cannot be made to wait for another six years for a better future”, adding that people should make a conscious choice of giving a chance to Congress to lead the Government in the State.Assuring the people about his commitment to revive a new phase of growth and equitable development, Azad said that if voted to power, Congress –led Govt will make serious endeavours to transform the lives of the people of the State.Asserting that Congress has the capacity to fight the pisive agenda of all the political parties and accommodate urges and aspirations of all the regions and sections of the State, Azad said that Congress stands for lasting peace, inter-regional harmony and above all ensure equitable and fast-paced development.