Excelsior Correspondent
GANDERBAL/BANDIPORA, July 28: National Conference working president Omar Abdullah today said the PDP-BJP Coalition Government, headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, had turned out to be a monumental failure and a cruel joke with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
While launching the party’s membership drive in Ganderbal and Bandipora, he said that the PDP-BJP Alliance of opportunism had broken every single political, economic and governance related promise that it had made collectively as well as those promises that PDP and BJP had made in isolation before coming together for power.
“This Government of U-turns has turned out to be a cruel joke with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Every single promise that PDP made before elections has been sold to the BJP to ensure that Mufti Sahab remains in the Chief Minister’s chair. Not only has the PDP-BJP Alliance failed to rehabilitate the flood victims but it has also chosen to add insult to injury by arbitrarily raising State taxes that would directly affect the common-man and result in inflation,” he alleged.
Omar further alleged that the State Government was deriving sadistic pleasure from persecuting and harassing the common-man as a pay-back for widespread discontent with and opposition to PDP’s sell-out to the BJP. He said that PDP had failed to uphold its promises of revoking AFSPA from J&K and had surrendered that demand along with other pretensions for the sake of remaining in power.
“Be it the matter of AFSPA revocation, the slogan of talks with the Hurriyat, the assurance of resuming the peace process or the election promise of opening additional trade routes along the LoC – Mufti Sahab has sold all his promises in lieu of the Chief Minister’s chair. Then comes the brazen surrender by PDP on the issue of safeguarding Article 370. BJP continues to pledge its resolve to abrogate Article 370 and all NGOs affiliated to the RSS and VHP have been united in exploring possibilities to challenge J&K’s special status. But Mufti Sahab and Mehbooba Mufti continue to remain mute spectators – which is dangerous for the interests of J&K”, the NC working president said.
Omar alleged that the flood victims continue to grapple with the challenges of economic deprivation and penury as the PDP-BJP Government and its Finance Minister publicly sabotaged the 44,000 crore Flood Relief Package that was proposed by the previous State Government.
Omar said that National Conference would reach out to people in every single city, town and village of the State and connect with the youth and take them on board for the party’s goal to safeguard the honour and dignity of the State. “The Membership drive launched by the party will be followed with dedication and enthusiasm in every region of the State. I invite the youth to come forward and join hands with National Conference to ensure the State’s interests and its dignity is upheld after we have witnessed a tragic, opportunistic political sell-out in the State that has resulted in widespread disenchantment in the youth. This membership drive is an opportunity to come together and script a historic chapter of ideological commitment to the State’s history of sacrifices and honour”, he said.
The NC working president was accompanied by senior party leaders and functionaries during his visit to Ganderbal and Bandipora.
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