Excelsior Correspondent
NAGROTA, Jan 29: Provincial President National Conference Devender Singh Rana today wondered how the proponents of so-called Kashmiri nationalism will blend with self-proclaimed exclusive inheritors of Indian nationalism and pan out a common minimum programme devoid of their divergent ideologies.
“It will be interesting to watch how the alliance between BJP and PDP will shape up, especially in the backdrop of high pitch accusations and tantrums hurled by these parties against each other ahead of the elections”, Mr Rana said while addressing workers at Nagrota this afternoon.
He said the fractured mandate, however, has changed the equations with both these parties getting eager to lie in each others’ laps for sharing the loaves of power. Ironically, this proposed arrangement is being vainly argued and justified as a requirement in the larger interest of the people, he said, adding that time alone will prove how public interest has fallen prey to vested interest. “PDP and BJP have virtually held the people and the State to ransom for bargaining and bartering the electoral mandate”, he added.
The Provincial President said that public posturing of two parties was just a façade, as they were two sides of the same coin, intermittently blowing hot and cold to whip up passions and polarize the situation. “They stand totally exposed”, he said adding that the people have got to know how they were taken for a ride by the BJP and PDP which played negative and divergent politics thereby dividing the State and polarising the political structure. “The situation has been brought to such a morass that the State is without a Government for the past over one month despite overwhelming participation of the people in democratic exercise”, he added. He said all this is being done to satiate the electoral aspirations of BJP in Delhi.
Mr Rana asked the PDP and BJP to bid adieu to their hypocritical and deceptive politics and form the Government at the earliest as the State was confronted with numerous problems especially in the wake of displacement of border dwellers and flood sufferers. “The two parties are playing hide and seek because BJP is locked in an electoral battle in Delhi and its leadership is feeling apologetic on being seen hobnobbing with PDP in a sensitive State like Jammu and Kashmir”, he said.
Saying that PDP was playing second fiddle to ensure BJP’s victory in Delhi elections, even if it meant depriving the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their legitimate political aspirations, he observed that the scenario is nothing new, as the PDP remains Xerox copy of the BJP in the State. This became evident many a times since the inception of PDP with its leaders playing to galleries only to gain sympathy. “In fact, there has been a strategic move by the BJP to encourage PDP to play Kashmir card for marginalizing National Conference which has been representing the genuine aspirations of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh”, the Provincial President maintained.