Excelsior Correspondent
BEERWAH, Nov 28: NC Working President Omar Abdullah today said that the fight of National Conference to uphold the promises made to the people of J&K was not an electoral fight but an inexorable ideological battle for J&K’s political dignity.
While addressing youth in Beerwah Assembly segment on Friday, Omar Abdullah said NC’s demand of reversing erosions in Article 370 and for the restoration of Internal Autonomy in J&K was not an electoral plank but formed the basis of a struggle that Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah spent 23 years in jail for.
“Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah did not spend almost half his life in prison as an electoral plank. Thousands of National Conference workers did not suffer indignity and humiliation at the hands of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad and his patrons in Delhi as an electoral plank. Thousands of National Conference workers did not sacrifice their lives as an electoral plank. We have the glory of sacrifices and courage behind our back and we dream of a future of dignity and honor for our people. We are not seeking power to steal urea or rice from the godowns of the people. We are not seeking power to start land grabbing. We are not seeking power to facilitate BJP’s ambitions in J&K. We are asking for your vote so that we can again fight the battle that we fought in 1953 under Sheikh Abdullah’s command”, Omar Abdullah said while addressing hundreds of youth workers and activists.
He said that National Conference believed in serving the developmental and governance related day-to-day needs of the people with utmost sincerity and dedication.
“We have rendered a historic tenure of systemic reforms in the fields of power generation, roads and bridges, tourism generation, irrigation, horticulture, education and healthcare and we will continue to perform with honesty in the context of governance. We will continue to empower the common man with rights to ask questions of his Ministers, MLAs and Chief Minister. We will continue to devolve and decentralize power to the grassroots level and our efforts at liberalization of power through Panchayati Raj System and creation of New Administrative Units is noteworthy”, Omar Abdullah further added.
“However, development is not a substitute for the political resolution of the Kashmir Issue. Our proposed resolution is the reversal in the erosions made to Article 370 and the complete restoration of Internal Autonomy. We will continue to stand by these perennial demands with renewed vigor and strength. Nobody should be mistaken into thinking that the narrative of development can occlude the need for a political resolution”, Omar Abdullah said while asking the people to vote in high numbers in the remaining phases of the Assembly Elections and play a part in further empowering the State with a voice that cannot be manipulated or by-passed.
Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah telephonically addressed election rallies at Gulabgarh and Reasi from Srinagar.
He said that National Conference is the only political party which strives for unity, solidarity, brotherhood and equitable development of all the regions and sub-regions of the State.
The Working President, National Conference listed the achievements registered in all the development sectors in the State during the last six years of his Government.
He said that the highest turnout of voters in the first phase of Assembly elections in the State in the peaceful atmosphere goes to the credit of National Conference led Government which steered the State out of the situation of fear, confusion and hatred that was created in 2008 putting people of Kashmir and Jammu at draggers-drawn for political interests by some political parties.
He appealed the voters of Gulabgarh and Reasi to vote for National Conference candidates Abdul Gani Malik and Jagjeevan Lal. He highlighted the services of these candidates to the people and said that their success in the Assembly elections will be the success of the people.
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