SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti today accused the Centre of “manipulating” the democratic and political system of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I want to send a message to the policy makers in Delhi. Please, please, you have been practising one policy in J&K for the last 65 years without yielding any positive results.
“You have tried to manipulate the democratic system of J&K. You have discredited it by manipulating elections, by paying money, by working not through the representatives but through the agencies. Please change it,” Mehbooba told reporters here.
The Centre is “not very comfortable” about the functioning of the political and democratic setup in the State as there is “distrust” in their hearts, she said.
“General (Retd) V K Singh’s expose has brought one thing to the fore that it is all a part and parcel of Delhi’s policy in J&K,” the PDP leader said.
She said “Let Singh’s disclosures be an eye-opener, let it be a test case. Those who took money be exposed, but more important is to change the Delhi’s policy because every mainstream politician is not there for money and power.
“We also want to be in power because we want to resolve the issues of the people. And the PDP believes that the issue of J&K and the issues of the people can be sorted out within the democratic system of this country, but only if the system is not polluted through manipulations.”
Mehbooba said it was because of the “u-turns” of National Conference that the Centre thinks the politicians in the State are not trustworthy.
“It is because of the u-turns of the National Conference since 1947 that Delhi thinks the mainstream politicians here are not trustworthy and they become trustworthy only when you pay them money or you bring them into power by rigging or by accord or by accession. I hope Singh is brought here within one month and we get an opportunity to clean the system,” the leader of the Opposition in State Assembly said.
“V K Singh’ allegation is a tip of the ice-berg. There is no doubt that by his expose, our credibility has been further eroded….. I think this is an opportunity for the people of J&K, for our polity, to clean our system. If V K Singh is brought here and because he has pointed (fingers) towards many people, all this would open up,” she said.
Mehbooba expressed hope that the Speaker of the Assembly, Mubarak Gul, would summon the former Army Chief to the Assembly and question him. (AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel