Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 23: People’s Democratic Front (PDF) president and former Minister, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, today strongly criticized the National Conference (NC) leadership for what he termed as a “betrayal of people’s trust” by hiding behind the pretext of statehood restoration to avoid fulfilling their election manifesto promises.
In a statement issued here, Hakeem Yaseen said that the remarks of the Assembly Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather, that the NC Government cannot implement its manifesto until full Statehood is granted to Jammu and Kashmir, are both shocking and misleading.
” Rather himself was part of the manifesto framing committee and he was fully aware that NC was contesting elections in the Union Territory setup, not as a state. If they knew they would have no powers to implement their promises, then why they misled the people with tall claims during the elections?” Yaseen asked.
He said such excuses amount to deceiving the aspirations of the people, who voted for NC in the hope of change, development, and restoration of confidence in the democratic process. “Manifestos are solemn commitments to the people, not mere political documents that can be brushed aside later with excuses,” he added.
The PDF leader also referred to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s repeated statements wherein he has publicly admitted that his Government cannot do much, citing “limited powers” and “lack of authority” under the Union Territory arrangement. Yaseen said this is nothing but an attempt to shift responsibility and escape accountability.
“If NC had no roadmap and no capacity to deliver under the present circumstances, then it should not have raised false hopes in the first place,” he remarked.
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