Srinagar,March 26, (Scoop News)- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Thursday said while the PDP is going into LokSabha with an agenda primarily for raising the issue of Kashmir and the problems faced by the people, but it will also try to provide voice to the aspirations of Muslims across to the country.
Addressing a well-attended workers meeting of Kulgam and Noorabad assembly constituencies in Kulgam, Mehbooba said the position of Jammu and Kashmir as the only Muslim majority state of the country is unique and National Conference’s failure in rising above ministerial positions for its members and personal interests has deprived even Indian Muslims a credible leadership.
Mehbbooba said the PDP will seek an implementable Kashmir policy at the national level and keeping that in view the present parliamentary elections could prove a turning point in asserting our democratic right. “While doing so, we will also try to fill the representation gap for the 20 crore Muslims of the country, who have unfortunately been pushed back in the race for development,” she said.
The PDP Chief said the NC focused only on personal luxury and positions of power and never stood up for the rights either of the people who voted them or the Muslims of rest of the country.
She said NC continued to remain part of the NDA even after the Gujarat massacre and didn’t sacrifice the Minister of State’s job, which Omar Abdullah was holding in the Vajpayee government. “Not only this, Farooq Abdullah gave a clean chit to Modi even before the courts did so and lately claimed to have seen Allah in his eyes,” she said.
Mehbooba said NC must share the failure of the UPA government to solve the problems of the Muslims of the country. “NC never raised their voice against any communal riot, as representatives of the only Muslims majority state; italso failed to press the passage of Communal Riots Bill,” said Mehbooba adding similarly, they never pressed the UPA for implementation of Sachar Committee report, which had identified the problems facing the Muslim community and listed the biases and discrimination against them.
She said after committing huge frauds, deceit with the people and selling the interests of the state, the NC has lost its regional character unlike other regional parties of the country which don’t shy away from agitating when they feel the interests of their people have been compromised. “But NC can’t to do that, because power has made it blind to see anything beyond that,” she said.
Mehbooba said the emergence of the PDP on the political sphere of the state has helped to change the political discourse about J&K both in and outside the state and it will continue to do so in order find a lasting solution to the problem.
She said PDP during its brief tenure in the government scripted a new chapter of peace and development in the state and the party not only revived people’s trust in the democratic institutions, but set an example of honesty and transparency in the governance system. She said the party delivered much it had promised to the people, but NC brought destruction and sell-outs of the state’s interests and resources. She said the ruling dispensation has vitiated the whole atmosphere of peace and reconciliation which was created by the PDP with the support of people.
The senior PDP leaders, Sofi Abdul Gaffar, MLA; Nazir Ahmad Laway, district president and Abdul Majeed Paddar and local leaders, Gulzar Ahmad Dar , Abdul Rahim Malla, Shiraz Ahmad and others were also present on the occasion.