BJP, RSS play divisive politics, not NC: Farooq

NC leaders paying tributes to Sheikh Abdullah at Hazratbal on his 38th death anniversary. —Excelsior/Shakeel
NC leaders paying tributes to Sheikh Abdullah at Hazratbal on his 38th death anniversary. —Excelsior/Shakeel

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Sept 8: National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah today said that party has never played communal politics and charged BJP and RSS with playing divisive politics.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function on the 38th death anniversary of party’s founder Late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the NC president criticized the remarks of BJP senior leader Ram Madhav who had charged NC with using Islam in its politics aimed to hoodwink people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“It has remained our history that we never played communal or divisive politics”, Dr Abdullah said. Click here to watch video
The NC president while hitting hard at BJP said that NC always called people across the ideological divide towards unity while it was BJP which played communal politics across the country and led division of nation into pieces.
“Late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah always used politics of unity. He never resorted to politics based on religion. He worked for the unity of all sections of society be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or people from other religions”, Dr Abdullah said.
“It is BJP which used communal card in politics and created dissection in the society which led to division, hate and animosity”, he said.
He added that the transition of Muslim Conference into National Conference was aimed at taking all sections of society along which, however, witnessed joining of people across the divide into ranks.
Abdullah said that if anyone is playing communal politics it is BJP and RSS. “This type of politics will drown them soon”, he said.
On the occasion, several party leaders and activists participated in the function and paid rich tributes to late Sheikh Abdullah.
Party leading while paying tributes said he was one of the titans of freedom movement for restoration of people’s democratic rights. The party leaders pledged to offer every sacrifice for upholding and preserving the rights of the people of J&K.
“Defending, upholding and preserving the unity of people of J&K will be a befitting tribute to Sher-e-Kashmir,” said Abdullah.
The leaders on the occasion said that the life and struggle of Sheikh was emblematic of people’s genuine aspirations. “On his anniversary the best tribute to him would be to tread the trail which he has left behind”, they said.
Lauding his vision of discarding communal politics at a time when the sub-continent was swayed by frenzy of communal politics, the party leaders said his ideals have universal acceptance. Recalling the immense contribution of Sheikh, like the revolutionary Land Reforms Act, Single Line Administration, free education, adult franchise, the party leaders said J&K had a special position in the country.
However the leaders said the “unilateral and unconstitutional measures” which were undertaken by the Centre on August 5 last year are aimed at altering that uniqueness.
The leaders said that after independence, the Jammu and Kashmir rose to achieve new heights in terms of human development index and that the overall growth of the State on other vital development indices was also far ahead of other States in the country.
The leaders said that the feat could not have been achieved had not a leader of Sheikh’s stature been around. “Sher-e-Kashmir belonged to a tribe of leaders, who not just liberated the people from the shackles of bondage but also ensured even handed development of all sections of society post-independence by investing heavily in gender neutral education and participatory grass roots level development,” the leaders said.

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