Complimenting the people in general and the PDP cadres in particular for turning up in such large numbers at the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi’s public rally in Srinagar today, Member Parliament and PDP President, Ms Mehbooba Mufti said it is vindication of the fact that the people are not only acknowledging and appreciating the good work being done by the state government led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, but they have full faith in his leadership.“Even though we didn’t yet get much time to deliver on our promises and have been in the Government for only eight months, the overwhelming presence of the people in today’s public rally has reiterated the fact that they have tremendous faith the leadership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and he has the commitment to deliver,” she said and added that the State Government is committed to respond to and mitigate the political and economic problems of the State with fresh resolve. “And I assure the people that the results of our efforts would bear fruit soon,” she said.
She said the people of the State in general and the youth in particular are looking up towards the present Government with great hope and expectations to put up a responsive political structure, productive economic setup and supportive social fabric in place. “Our endeavor would be to respond to and mitigate the complex problems of the state, faced as it is with decades long political uncertainty, development deficit, unfulfilled aspirations, mounting unemployment, corruption, nepotism and favoritism,” she said and added that the State needs the cooperation of the Centre in transforming the ground situation in J&K for the larger welfare of its residents.Welcoming the economic package announced by the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi for J&K, Ms Mehbooba said besides infrastructure rebuilding, the package also includes funds for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected households, traders and growers who suffered huge economic losses in the devastating deluge of September 2014. “The announcement by the Prime Minister that Rs 80000 crore package is not the end but the beginning of a process of rebuilding Jammu and Kashmir’s economy is an inspiring gesture which would go a long way in rebuilding people’s trust in the democratic institutions,” she said.
Ms Mehbooba also hailed the Prime Minister’s announcement of carrying forward and consolidating the initiatives of former Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Jammu and Kashmir, which he had announced at the same venue in 2003.Earlier, welcoming the Prime Minister at the public rally, Ms Mehbooba said Jammu and Kashmir deserves special treatment for its distinctive decision of acceding to India when the sub-continent was divided on religious lines in 1947.“At a time when various princely states of the undivided India were charting their future course by merging with India and Pakistan on religious lines, Jammu and Kashmir preferred to go against the tide and acceded to India,” Ms Mehbooba said an added that since then people of the State have time and again reiterated their faith and trust in the constitution of India based on the ethos of secularism, equality and tolerance.
She said while J&K has already got a special status among the states of the India for its unique decision, it needs special treatment on political, economic and development fronts, which unfortunately has eluded the State during the past 60 years. “J&K’s political leadership at that time might have taken the decision of acceding to India after weighing all the pros and cons of the move and it is for the country’s leadership to reciprocate the same with measures that would bring political stability and economic prosperity to the State,” she said and added that the youth of Jammu and Kashmir want to reap the benefits of the economic liberalization and globalization that has brought huge dividends to their counterparts in other states of the country.Ms Mehbooba said that despite all the odds people of Jammu and Kashmir have time and again reiterated their trust in the democratic institutions and the processes and today again they turned up in such large numbers to send across a strong message that they want political stability and economic prosperity as they suffered a lot because of the political uncertainties plaguing the state.