Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 6: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLA Waheed ur Rehman Parra today accused the ruling National Conference of deflecting attention from governance concerns by reviving an “eight-month-old” controversy linked to Rajya Sabha elections.
Addressing reporters here, Parra said recent political developments in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the banning of Siraj-ul-Uloom in Shopian under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, had not received adequate attention from the Government.
He alleged that the resurfacing of the Rajya Sabha issue was a deliberate attempt to shift focus. “To divert this issue, the Rajya Sabha matter was brought up,” Parra said, adding that the elections in question had taken place months ago and were no longer relevant.
Expanding on the political context, Parra alleged that during the elections, alliances were weakened. “The PAGD was kept in name, but the PDP was sidelined and the alliance was not converted into a proper electoral arrangement,” he said, adding that the broader opposition bloc was also undermined.
Parra claimed that despite political differences, the PDP later extended support during the Rajya Sabha polls. “They approached the PDP and asked its three MLAs for support. Mehbooba Mufti said we will help in good faith so that you can rely on your own vote strength and avoid blame,” he said, referring to the election in which candidate Gurvinder Oberoi secured a parliamentary seat.
“This is not a matter of votes or Rajya Sabha, it is a matter of trust. The commitments made at the time were not honored. After taking support, they rejected the bill the very next day,” he said.
Parra reiterated concerns over administrative decisions, including the digitization of land records exclusively in English and changes in recruitment rules that no longer require Urdu. He termed it an “erasure of heritage.”
He also questioned the performance of the Government led by Omar Abdullah, citing unemployment and rising public costs. “Thousands of jobs are on hold, outsourcing has increased, and people are facing a sharp rise in electricity bills,” he said.
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