National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana on Monday said the PDP and BJP owe apology to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for compromising their interests and creating unprecedented political, economic and security impasse. “Jammu and Kashmir is virtually at the cross roads of its history, as the two mandated parties kept personal interests above the larger interest of the people on every issue, be that development or governance, security or the political aspirations”, Mr Rana said while addressing office bearers of the Provincial Committee and District Units of the Jammu Division at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan.He said the self-centric attitude of the two parties, which they themselves tagged as North Pole and South Pole, became evident on day one of stitching their unholy alliance with singular agenda of remaining in power. As a consequence the public interest became causality, he said, adding that the helplessness being shown by PDP and the BJP after parting ways is like sprinkling salt on the injuries of their electors. He said the defunct and immoral alliance has left a lesson for the people to take their decisions with caution and sagacity for which the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are known.Rana said the failed PDP-BJP experience has posed a big challenge for the National Conference to restore peoples’ faith in parliamentary democracy that has been hugely eroded by the two parties. He came down heavily on the duo for their political bankruptcy and immaturity, which they are demonstrating in immense measure by indulging in blames and counter blames. The BJP is accusing the PDP of letting down Jammu and Ladakh and the latter is taking pride in highlighting dirty statistics of killing people in the Valley.The Provincial President said the emotive, divisive, communal and regional politics played by the erstwhile coalition partners has bruised the psyche of the people, who have been pushed to worse kind of polarization.
There is need for bridging the gap, which alone can be done by National Conference, which believes in regional unity and communal amity, he said and urged the functionaries to gear up grass root units to fill the political vacuum.Rana also exhorted the cadre to be positive role models for democracy that they are supposed to be being the inheritors of a mass movement, which has stood test of times during most turbulent times. He referred to major turnaround achieved by the government led by Mr Omar Abdullah from 2011 to 2014 after the most disturbed situation in the wake of Amarnath land row agitation and political instability created by the PDP and BJP. He said the National Conference has immensely contributed in putting the regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladkah on the tracks of development by dispensing transparent and accountable governance.While appreciating BJP President Amit Shah for his frank admission of his party having failed the people of Jammu, Rana said this is a subtle acknowledgement of the good work done by National Conference over the years. He recalled how Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah worked tirelessly for development of Jammu and the entire region soon after taking over the reins of the State. He expressed indebtedness of the people of Jammu to Sheikh Sahib for giving the City of Temples the Concrete Tawi Bridge, Medical College, the Circular Road and much more despite financial crunch and by cutting food subsidy. He said the successive National Conference governments led by Dr Farooq Abdullah and Mr Omar Abdullah carried forward this mission and put the state, especially Jammu on the odyssey of development and progress. “This spirit has to be emulated for satiating the developmental and political urges of the people”, he maintained and added that National Conference has a track record of ensuring equitable development of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.