Srinagar, Oct 25: National Conference on Thursday rejected the assertions of BJP general secretary Ram Madhav as “hogwash and a shameless attempt to conceal the failures” of BJP-led central government in Jammu & Kashmir.
In a statement issued from party headquarters, NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, and Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan and Sakina Itoo said that the assertions of Ram Madhav have not come as a surprise.
“BJP has being lying to the whole country and they continue to do so here in our state as well. What is there to celebrate about the recent ULB polls? Out of 598 wards in valley, no one filled nomination papers for 181wards and 231 wards are such where the contestants got elected unopposed,” they said adding, “It was during Omar Abdullah-led government that the state witnessed a poll percentage of over 80 percent in the 2011 Panchayat elections.”
The NC leaders said that BJP “in desperation” is downplaying the figures of ULB elections. “It is shocking how BJP is trying to justify the record low turnout in these elections. Rather than accepting the follies, they are cheering because BJP won few wards in the valley. Such brazen display of arrogance is destined to fall flat on the ground.”
They said that that the recently concluded ULB elections “turned to be a damp squib” where among other things a particular candidate declared himself winner even before the counting was held.
“The process was mired with controversies from day first. It is for the first time that the names of candidates were withheld by the election commission. People had no idea who they were voting for or where the polling booths were located,” they said.
Reacting to the accusation of family rule, the Sagar said that none of our leaders are being selected or superimposed on people of the state.
“The pet blame of BJP stands no ground. Our leadership has come up not through any kind of a coup but all of them were democratically elected by the people of the state.”
The NC leaders maintained that the party didn’t participate in the ULB elections because of the ambiguous stand of state and the central government on Article 35-A in the Supreme Court.
Rejecting Ram Madhav’s allegation about NC creating “fear psychosis”, the leaders said, “It is National Conference which has suffered in the last three decades when hundreds of our party workers and leaders have fallen to the bullets. Two of our party functionaries were killed during the recently concluded elections and the government is still clueless about who the culprits are.”
The leaders maintained that state’s own Panchayat Raj Act is far more democratic, egalitarian and participatory than the central laws.
“Our party has a history of involving masses with decision-making. We have to our credit the single-line administration, district development boards, JKRTI Act, the state’s Panchayat Raj Act. They are just a few feathers in our cap,” they claimed.
