KL Report
SRINAGAR
Breaking his silence over the allegations leveled against him by Dr Mehboob Beg, Finance Minister and senior National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather Wednesday challenged Beg to name just a single person whom he has adjusted in Jammu and Kashmir Bank. Terming the allegations of Beg baseless, Rather said that Jammu and Kashmir Bank is an autonomous body which is not controlled by Government. “I challenge him (Mehboob Beg) to name a person who I have helped to get job in Jammu and Kashmir Bank. I am surprised why Beigh is up in arms against me. Beg never complained about it whenever he met me,” Rather told Srinagar based news agency CNS adding that being the Chairman District Development Board Islamabad, he left no stone unturned in developing South Kashmir.
Finance Minister said that, “majority of the Legislative members in South Kashmir belong to People’s Democratic Party and they never claimed that their constituencies are being ignored by me. I fail to understand the motive of Mehboob Beg. My simple question to him is why he maintained silence over this issue from past six years and why he came up with such ‘baseless’ allegations only after he conceded defeat in Parliament elections,” Rather told CNS and added that any plan for the development of any constituency is passed with the consultation of local MLA.
Abdul Rahim Rather said that Beg failed to prove his allegations during party Working Committee meeting in June this year. He said that he was hurt when Mehboob Beg again raised the issue of ‘backdoor appointments’ in his recent press briefing.
Responding to a question, Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather said that the government would certainly help the flood affected traders once it receives assistance from Central Government. “The government took every decision in consultation with traders. I fail to understand why some traders criticize the government when it conceded to all their demands,” he said.
Rather claimed that National Conference will emerge as victorious in coming Assembly Elections. “National Conference is not a party but a movement. It is a traditional party which has always worked in the interest of people and this time also as in past people will vote for this party,” he said and appealed people to differentiate between a good and a bad candidate.
