Srinagar: National Conference on Tuesday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks about “family rule” in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the BJP was peddling a “false narrative” and insulting the voters of the erstwhile state.
Shah, who is visiting the Union Territory, had earlier in the day said just three political families ruled the erstwhile state but, now, power was with 30,000 people elected to panchayats and district councils through fair elections.
“BJP’s rhetoric denouncing the so-called family rule in J&K is not only misplaced, but is actually an insult to lakhs of people who voted them to power in number of elections held over the past so many decades,” Imran Nabi Dar, state spokesperson for the National Conference (NC), said.
He added whether it was Farooq Abdullah or Omar Abdullah or others, they became chief ministers because people voted for them in a set-up supervised by the Election Commission of India.
“It is unfortunate that this false narrative is being peddled time and again for reasons known to the ruling party,” Dar said.
A People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader also said there was nothing new in Shah’s speech and his remarks on family rule were a repetition of what he had said before.
“This is not something new. These are the same words that they have been speaking about. There is no new articulation or thinking,” the leader said on condition of anonymity.
Speaking on the announcement of reservation for Pahari people, the PDP leader said it was still in the realm of speculation and “nothing can be said as of now”.
Commenting on Shah’s reservation announcement, senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said the assertions were at odds with reality.
“The tribal population of J&K was granted ST status in 1991 when Article 370 and 35-A were intact. These provisions never stymied the progress of any community,” he tweeted.
