Dr. Farooq Abdullah former Chief Minister (CM) and patron National Conference said that the petty politicking of PDP-Congress will not work this time as the people’s verdict in the ensuing elections will give them a befitting reply and remove them form the political scape.
Dr. Abdullah who was addressing a series of election meetings in Hazratbal constituency said the total breakdown of administrative machinery during the PDP-Congress coalition rule with rampant corruption, swelling unemployment, financial mismanagement, poverty, unprecedented price rise, bad roads, dry taps, poor health care and crippled education system has taken the state backwards. Now the PDP-Congress in their sheer desperation are again trying to mislead people.
Dr. Abdullah said the only thing which was visible on the ground during the coalition regime was "corruption". "With the rampant corruption the coalition ministers have eaten into the vitals of our state and have pushed the state backward, he said.
Dr. Abdullah said his party views with dismay the manner in which the financial resources of the state were managed and frittered away by the previous PDP-Congress coalition government Ministers and MLAs.
"The funds that were meant for the people of the state and were supposed to be used for reviving the economy and providing basic amenities to the people of the state people were swindled by them and my party if his party is voted to power it will investigate all the corrupt practices during the erstwhile regime", Dr. Abdullah said.
Dr. Abdullah said a lot needs to be done on the ground level for bringing prosperity and peace to the state, the NC patron said that he has vision of building a strong state by empowering the people at the gross root level.
"We believe that local self government at the grassroots level should be institutionalized and strengthened to ensure people participation in decision making , which is the only way in which democracy can become effectively functional and bring about social transformation, said Dr. Abdullah adding that the "Vision" which the party has outlined for the people of the state is a road map for development and if voted to power the party will ensure that it is backed up by a competent delivery mechanism so that its benefit reaches to the grass root level.
Accusing the former chief ministers Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and Ghulam Nabi Azad of playing with the careers of youth, Dr. Abdullah said "their promise of providing jobs to unemployed youth remained confined to papers only, and said that they made our youth disheartened and disillusioned". He said adding that I promise that the first priority of my party after coming to power will be to take the youth of our state out of hopelessness and despair for which, Dr. Abdullah said the party will come out with a special package for employment which shall open new avenues for the young unemployed and ensure that in each household of the state there is atleast one earning hand.
Dr. Abdullah also promised that if voted to power the National Conference government will lower the cost of essential commodities by 25-30% and subsidize LPG and electricity tariff and will open fair price shops in every village so as to ensure that the poor people could get all the basic essentialities at reasonable rates.
Dr Farooq Abdullah asked the voters to exercise their franchise in favour of his party so that the vision of a prosperous state is given practical shape.