Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President, Ms Mehbooba Mufti today accused National Conference (NC) of conniving with everybody from Srinagar to New Delhi to keep PDP out of power. She urged people to stand up to the looming political danger in J&K and avert BJP’s invasion of the State in connivance with its timeserving allies.“Seeing a mass wave building in favor of PDP across Jammu and Kashmir, NC leaders have started conniving with everybody including BJP and RSS to keep PDP out of power,” Mehbooba said while addressing a series of election rallies here to enlist support for the party candidate, Fayaz Ahmad Mir.She said even some right-thinking NC veterans have of late realized that only a seasoned leader like Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has the capability and political wherewithal to face-up to the dangerous pisive designs of BJP in Kashmir. “That is why most of the NC veterans have started rallying behind the PDP’s pro-J&K agenda aimed at safeguarding the State’s distinct political and constitutional status,” she said and added that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have resolved not only to reject NC but the pocket-sized politicians as well who are being propped up in selective constituencies for fragmentation of votes. She claimed NC has already conceded defeat when its chief ministerial candidate Omar Abdullah fled from Ganderbal constituency.
Mehbooba said PDP has been able to inspire confidence among people in all the regions of the state about its ability to solve the multiple problems faced by Jammu and Kashmir on political, economic, administrative and financial fronts. “With a decisive mandate in upcoming elections, PDP will carry forward its agenda of political resolution, good governance and employment generation and convert Jammu and Kashmir into a real welfare state,” she said and added that it is being widely acknowledged today that the party had, under the leadership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, pioneered revolutionary political, economic and developmental initiatives during its brief stint in the government between 2002 and 2005, the signposts of which are visible in every nook and corner of the State. “We can with great modesty say that the successive NC governments for the past more than four decades have not been able to achieve an iota of what our government did in that brief stint of three years,” she said and accused NC leaders of using slogans like ‘Azadi’, ‘Raishumari’ and ‘Autonomy’ in the past with good results for itself and trying to bank on rhetorical catchwords of “Article-370” and “AFSPA” in their latest avatar.
Mehbooba said NC destroyed the dignity, authority and self respect of the state and it's highest elected institution when it pocketed the insult of the Autonomy resolution being thrown virtually into the dustbin by its allies in Delhi and “Farooq Sahab and Omar continued to serve on the proverbial 'same salary'.” She said for the ruling family it was the job of a junior minister for its then heir apparent which was more important than the interests of the state.
She said the political subversion and uncertainty that the state has faced in the last seven decades has already taken a heavy toll on the state, its economy and human resources and it can ill afford any further disruption and the attempts being made currently by some quarters to squeeze the space for its residents will have to be met with maturity, wisdom, collective action and democratic assertion of our rights.Referring to the local issues, Mehbooba said if PDP, God willing, forms the next government Kupwara would be developed as a model town restoring its all-weather connectivity with Karnah and Bandipora.PDP candidate for Kupwara assembly segment Fayaz Ahmad Mir also addressed the rallies.