Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) on Saturday denounced the criticism by the People’s Conference of a meeting of Opposition parties convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi as unfounded and out of sync with reality.
In a joint statement, NC’s segment in-charges from Kupwara district, including Choudhary Muhammad Ramzaan, Mir Saifullah, Qaiser Jamsheed Lone, Kafeelur Rehman and Shafqat Watali, said the “rants” against the party president are coming from a person “who is hopelessly inconsistent in his views”.
“Known for changing narratives, his (Lone’s) only permanent character is that of a pendulum, which keeps on swinging from one extreme to another. From joining the PAGD to leaving it, he has only damaged the cause of restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A,” they said.
The NC leaders said neither they nor other like-minded political parties need Lone’s certificate on their commitment to fight for the restoration of Article 370.
“In fact, he (Lone) needs to come clear on his deserting of the cause and subsequent unabashed lapping up with the RSS in Pahalgam recently,” the joint statement said.
Reiterating the party’s stand on restoration of “abridged democratic and constitutional rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”, it said the NC never claimed a national consensus on restoration of Articles 370 and 35-A.
“There are parties who support our stand but others who do not and we continue to engage with all of them to convince them,” the NC leaders said.
They said it is unacceptable to be lectured by a party led by an individual who left the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and abandoned the struggle against the Centre’s August 05, 2019 decision to abrogate the provisions of Articles 370 and 35-A and bifurcate the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories.
“His (Lone’s) dithering approach gives slip to his dishonesty about the cause. He has never been honest either to his supporters or the general public. His singular act of deserting the PAGD was the biggest blow to the unity that had been forged to fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s dignity. He has been rewarded for this by being invited to the high table of RSS-backed conferences in Jammu and Kashmir,” the NC leaders said.
