Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baig has said the present government has been unable even to carry on the routine administrative work properly not to speak of taking on any new initiatives or launching new projects and schemes.Addressing a public meeting at Yousmarg, he said the last five years under Omar Abdullah have witnessed a complete reversal of the development process that had generated an atmosphere of hope and progress, after 2002 elections. On this occasion senior party leader and Former Finance Minister Tariq Hameed Karra, senior leader Gh Nabi Lone Hanjura, District President Saifudin Bhat, Dr Nazir Ahmad Lone, youth leader Er. Nazir Yatoo and others were also present and spoke to the gathering. Baig said after five years of misleading pronouncement on providing jobs to the youth, Omar Abdullah has chosen to speak truth only now by saying that his government is facing a financial crisis. “What was the need for asking the youth to fill up forms with heavy fees, if Omar Abdullah had no jobs to offer”, Baig said adding that nearly rupees ten crores have been collected from the jobless youth in the name of recruitment. He said instead the government has resorted to backdoor recruitments and re-employment of the retired officials like Mushtaq Peer and others of dubious character. This government is using all methods to suck the blood of the people of the Jammu & Kashmir.
Quoting a recent report Baig said instead of benefiting the state from its alliance with Congress that is also ruling at the centre the NC led government has failed even to secure normal plan funds from the centre. He said it was shocking that out of all the states in the country, Jammu & Kashmir had received no step-up in plan allocations for the current year. He recalled that during the previous financial year also the centre had forfeited Rs= 1300 crores out of plan allocations for state government’s inability to spend funds in time and properly. Baig said in contrast to the present government, the PDP-led government had ensured not just adequate funding for the plan but had secured two Prime Minister’s Packages from Mr Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh, which had given a boost to economic activity and infrastructure development. He said thousands of crores were received as assistance from the Asian Development Bank for the reconstruction of the state through which many important roads including the Srinagar- Chrarisharief road were funded. But, the present government has punished the people of the state as a result of its inefficiency and corruption which have led the centre to stop funds to the state inspite of Omar Abdullah’s friendship in Delhi.
Baig said the state government has miserably failed to take any benefit of centrally sponsored schemes, which in other states have resulted in revolutionary development and upgradation of life standard. He said only those portions of schemes and projects are being implemented were the politicians can make money through nexus with some corrupt officials, agents, middleman and some favourite contractors. Speaking on this occasion senior leader and party’s parliamentary candidate, Tariq Hameed Karra said the NC has exploited the sentiments of the people of Kashmir for many decades but now it is time to show it the door out of state politics. He said any political progress on Kashmir and friendship between India and Pakistan had been possible only when NC was marginalized between 2002 and 2008. He said NC has used Kashmir problem to blackmail, both India and Pakistan and cheating the people of Jammu & Kashmir. He said Dr Farooq Abdullah, who is again seeking re-election from Srinagar parliament seat, has to do lot of explaining his performance in the parliament and for decades of NC misrule. “It is time that the people seek an account from him when it comes to voting for the parliament”, Karra Said.Karra said the focus of PDP is to change the system and empower people and democratic institutions. The party also aims at providing a common platform to people of all regions for a holistic development of the state, he said adding “we have to some extent succeeded in taking our message to people in all regions who had till now been kept in isolation of each other for petty political interests”. Karra said Jammu and Kashmir has the potential to grow as the most developed state of the country but for that to happen the people have to give a decisive mandate to PDP which with a brief stint in power has established how things can be positively changed.