Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: Reiterating resolve of her party to strengthen democratic institutions in the State, president of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti said that her party has brought real democracy in the State by challenging hegemony of the National Conference.
Ms Mufti, who was addressing a public meeting at Pouni in Reasi while winding up her two days tour of Rajouri and Reasi districts, said that it was PDP which has provided people a choice to choose because our party has emerged as strong alternative of the National Conference. “Formation of PDP was turning point in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir because it was only after emergence of PDP in the political scenario that the people have tasted the real democracy”, she said and reminded that it was during the PDP rule that democratic institutions were strengthened.
Taking a swipe at National Conference leadership for exploiting people, Ms Mufti said that for decades together residents of Jammu and Kashmir had to suffer at the hands of NC leaders who have always presided over the worst form of Governments in the State.
“Encouraging nepotism and corruption, mal-administration etc are the only achievements of the decades long mis-goverance of the successive National Conference regimes in the State”, she mentioned and added that National Conference leaders have build their own empires within and outside the State at the cost of the poor people of Jammu and Kashmir.
She opined that Jammu people were slightly better off as they had certain alternatives available in the form of Congress, BJP, Panther Party etc, though all those parties could not help in providing an alternate system to the National Conference dispensation. Therefore, National Conference took people’s support for granted and run the Government as their personal empire, destroying every institution to have their way.
Ms Mufti regretted like previous National Conference regimes, the present Government, during the last three and half years, has systemically destroyed all democratic institutions which were strengthened during PDP rule.
Taking a dig the National Conference led coalition for not taking any step to provide relief to the people due to imposition of cap on subsidized LPG cylinders, she said that even the recent cap on LPG subsidy has been resisted by majority of States including some Congress ruled where they have taken the burden upon themselves to compensate the people by enhancing the number of subsidized LPG cylinders per year.
“Here the State Govt has done nothing like that so far , it seems they have accepted the dictate of cap on LPG in total not bothering about its negative impact or burden on the common people”, she said and added that this double standard speak volumes about the functioning of the present regime.
Calling upon the people to put their faith in PDP, she said that her party was committed to throw out this present worst ever corrupt and rotten system and to establish a system of justice, transparency and equality.
Speaking on the occasion, former Minister Tariq Hamid Karra said that aim of the PDP was to mitigate miseries of the common masses. He mentioned that during PDP-Congress regime, people had a taste of good governance because every sections of the society were treated equally. He said that PDP-Congress regime had set an example of good governance.
Former Minister Qazi Mohammad Afzal, Basharat Bukhari, MLA, Thakur Balbir Singh, general secretary, Daman Bhasin, Choudhary Zulfikar, MLA, Abdul Qayum Dar also spoke on the occasion.
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