Srinagar, Oct 08: Lashing out at the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party for boycotting the ongoing municipal elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Peoples Conference chairman and MLA Handwara Sajad Gani Lone after casting his vote today dared the two regional parties to boycott elections now onwards so as to make way for the emergence of new leaders.
“They (NC and PDP) have ruled the state for long; now let them stick to the boycott so that new leaders emerge,” Lone told media persons at Handwara today.
“These people have boycotted the ULB and Panchayat elections because they stand for the grass-roots democracy and will not benefit the leaders at the helm in these parties, but they do contest the assembly and parliamentary elections as therein it is the top leaders who benefit. Now that they have chosen to boycott these elections, they must stick to it and in fact their MLAs and parliamentarians must also boycott all the privileges and perks like their salaries, government bungalows, CDF et al that they enjoy,” Lone said, adding that there are “other ways of boycott as well….”
About his party choosing to participate, Lone said “Peoples Conference boycotted elections for 25 years and we have experienced its futility and consequences.”
