Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR Dec 23: National Conference President and Member of Parliament Dr Farooq Abdullah today said the massive mandate to Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) spells out people’s rejection of August 5 measures.
Addressing party workers, YNC, Women’s Wing functionaries and Block presidents from district Srinagar at Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar a day after counting of DDC polls in which NC emerged second largest party in J&K, Abdullah said: “Despite beating every drum, people of J&K have firmly and avowedly rejected the misguided policy of BJP and its ilk in Jammu and Kashmir.”
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Farooq said that the victory has frontally and suggestively pronounced that the people of Jammu and Kashmir stand with the idea behind PAGD. “I am Sher-e-Kashmir’s son, they won’t be able to cringe my resolve by coercive tactics”, he challenged.
He said that the workers of the NC have again proven that the anti-Kashmir forces cannot wipe out the party from the political landscape of J&K. “Our party has right from its inception been witness to such tempest; our party structure has overly been fashioned and strengthened by hardships. Our workers have never cringed beneath the frown of divisive forces; today’s victory also bears it out. I have full faith in the Almighty and the people. I am particularly grateful to people who have stood behind us and have audaciously make known their rejection for the August 5 measures undertaken by ruling BJP,” he said.
“It was BJP which had made the DDC elections look like referendum, now that the people of J&K have made their aversion for August 5 measures known. The ruling BJP should read the writing on the wall and undo the decisions taken on 5th of August in 2019. The results have also revealed how deeply etched our party is in the hearts of people across J&K. Those who were saying that NC was over, stand dejected. NC was and will continue to represent the people’s voice in an inclusive manner”, said Abdullah.
“It was difficult to ally with the parties that were the rivals of NC. But a decision was taken in the large interests of people of J&K”, the NC president said.
Abdullah said that his party will never die and it was there, is there and will be there. “In 1996, they used to state that NC has died in Kashmir and does not exist anymore. The then PM Narasimha Rao used to say that NC doesn’t exist in Kashmir anymore. But when they realized, they (Delhi leaders) came to meet me in London and begged to save them. Let me tell them, NC was there, is there and it will remain there”, he said.
“Don’t forget the Almighty. He gives respect and he only gives the defeat as it is all in his hands. This is the peoples’ party. We have come far but we still fear of raising voice against issues, we fear, but let me tell you they are capable of nothing”, he said.
The NC president said that there are weaknesses in his party that need to be taken care of and at the same time, he congratulated NC workers for the success of alliance candidates.
The Vice President of the NC, Omar Abdullah, while expressing gratitude to the workers for ensuring the massive victory said that the reason behind contesting DDC polls wasn’t to grab power but to strengthen the efforts of Dr. Farooq Abdullah led PAGD in its efforts to restore the status of the State.
“BJP is now selling the results as a triumph of democracy. Had the PAGD lost then it would have spelled it out as people’s rejection of PAGD. The Alliance took birth in the wake of tough times. Last year all the constituent parties of PAGD were pitched against each other during the parliament elections but today the adversity has made us join our efforts to protect the interests of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under assault from divisive forces,” said Omar.
The NC Vice president said: “I don’t know how to thank people of J&K who in these difficult times, despite so many conspiracies, voted in favour of NC and People’s Alliance. These elections were not for power, though all the elections are fought for power, these elections were different”, he said.
Omar said that PAGD was born in tough times and they cannot even forget last year as on this day, they were scattered here and there. “Some were illegally detained, Dr Farooq booked under PSA”, he said.
“BJP did not leave any stone unturned to tell the world that the NC is done and dusted with forever. BJP used to send its paid media to project that people are not with the National Conference any more as not even dogs visit NC offices”, he said.
Omar said that the party has fought every storm and they believes in their mission. “But we kept saying that NC is the party which has fought every storm. We never turned away from any fight. We believed that if our mission is right, Almighty will show us the way”, he said.
“Farooq Sahib used to say that the Almighty will show us the way. The victory in the elections belong to none; this is the victory of the lower rank of the party as we did not move out for any sort of campaigning”, he said.
The party leaders didn’t campaign in these elections and it was left to lower rank workers. “We did not campaign in these elections which might have happened for the first time, we told our lower rank to go to people and tell them what we want out of these elections”, he said.
“We had no manifesto, no posters; we did not go for advertising. We believed that if our mission is right, if we are saying that the decision taken on August 5 last year is not acceptable to people of J&K, then people will come along, they will support us and that’s what happened”, he said.
Omar said that his party suffered in the Alliance. “I know this election was not easy to fight. We have sacrificed a lot to fight elections under this Alliance. I know how many of our leaders had to be patient enough to leave a seat for the alliance candidates. This alliance was not something old; we fought elections with the people against whom we fought the parliamentary election last year, it was not easy”, he added.
“I am telling you that if we had not gone with the Alliance to fight these elections, I am sure that we would have secured even more seats than we did. I am not talking about Kashmir only, in Jammu as well; we would have done better. But for a larger cause, we had to give sacrifices”, he said.
“So many of our people sold themselves, they used to be with us, and then when the moment came, they came to fight against the Alliance. If we were to face defeat, people would have said pro-Pakistanis faced defeat, anti-nationals were defeated, but now that we have won, they are saying that the democracy has won”, Omar said.
“When did we say that we don’t believe in democracy, however, the fact remains that you don’t believe in us-that’s something else, but since day one, we have been stating that we will fight for our rights, not by going against the law and the constitution”, he said.
Omar said that if democracy has won in Kashmir then BJP should respect people’s decision. “We are not here to disturb peace in J&K, we are here to set it right, but if you say that democracy has won, then you have to listen to the voices of people and with a sheer majority, the people of J&K have declared that they do not accept the decision taken on August 5 2019”, he said.
“We were being told that we don’t have the support of people, but now, after the participation in the election, we have made it clear to you that people are with us. For how long will you go on telling the world that people of J&K have accepted the decision taken in August last year?” the NC leader said.
Omar said that National Conference is the party now which has roots in Kashmir as well as in Jammu, Leh and Kargil. “These elections have proved that the conspiracies against the NC are never going to succeed come what may”, he said.
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