SRINAGAR: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday observed that National Conference and PDP owe an unequivocal apology to the people of J&K for their age-old political gimmicks and the frequent change in their political goal posts to woo the deeply tormented electorate.
Addressing the Party’s DDC campaign convention at Tangmarg in district Baramulla, Bukhari said that right from Raishumari, Autonomy, Joint Assembly, Dual Currency, Self Rule and now restoration of special status just through slogans, the National Conference and PDP leadership have never refrained from raising passions for their petty electoral gains.
“In last 72 years, NC has ditched and befooled people by exploiting the political sentiments of the people. Similarly, PDP didn’t lag and raised slogans that were totally misleading. These political parties have disrespected the peoples’ mandate and enjoyed power in NDA and formed the governments with BJP,” Bukhari said.
He added that in May 2019 Dr. Farooq Abdullah garnered a huge public support as he pledged to safeguard the Article 370 and 35-A. “But all these elected MPs of NC and PDP including Dr Abdullah failed to deliver on their election time promises made with the people. I think, morally, he should seek retirement from active politics as he failed as an elected Parliamentarian to represent the aspirations of his electorate,” he remarked.
Bukhari said that it is highly unfortunate that these political parties are now again trying to hoodwink the people by comparing and mixing the DDC elections with some sort of referendum. “People should understand that DDC elections are purely meant for good governance, developmental projects, infrastructure, quality education, health services and employment opportunities that will certainly bring respite to the people,” he observed.
On this occasion, senior vice president of Apni Party Ghulam Hassan Mir, who also addressed the convention, said that the Gupkar Alliance is another poll plank to befool the people of J&K and to become relevant.
In his address to the convention, Party’s senior leader and former minister Mohammad Dilawar Mir said that the gimmickry of political parties like NC and PDP has posed a big challenge for the Apni Party to restore peoples’ faith in democratic processes.
The convention was also addressed by Advocate Mir Ishfaq and Nazir Ahmad Sheikh, the contesting candidates from Tangmarg and Kunzar DDC constituencies respectively.
