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Mehbooba Mufti (14)
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and Member Parliament, Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday reiterated her party’s resolve to work for comprehensive resolution of J&K’s political, economic and developmental problems and “the results of this renewed effort will be there for everybody to see, sooner than later.”

“We have started picking up the threads from where we left in 2005 to revive the process of political resolution and economic rejuvenation in Jammu and Kashmir,” Mehbooba said while addressing a convention of PDP cadres here.

Maintaining that PDP’s core agenda revolves around the politically stable and economically vibrant future for J&K’s coming generations, Mehbooba said, “the party’s optimism that Jammu & Kashmir is headed for political stability and economic prosperity, is driven by its vision of a future that holds promise of peace and prosperity for its people who have suffered immensely because of the decades’ long political uncertainty, economic deprivation and mis-governance.”

Mehbooba said that the PDP-led government had in 2002 sparked political, economic and social activity on a phenomenal scale in Jammu & Kashmir facilitating complete transformation of the ground situation on almost every front. “Unfortunately, the lack of political direction, repression, rampant mis-governance, large-scale corruption, fiscal mismanagement, nepotism and institutional decay perpetuated by the NC-led coalition government during the past six years has brought the situation back to square one,” she said and added that the repressive and corrupt policies of the previous regime have fuelled a fresh wave of cynicism and alienation, especially among the youth, leading to a sudden drift in the situation.

“Due to the complete reversal of the confidence building and developmental process started by PDP-led Government in 2002, we are today standing at a point where not only to enormous damage done by the NC-led government is to be undone, but our Government has to make a fresh beginning almost on every count,” she said and added that the devastation caused by the September 2014 floods has made the situation further challenging for the present government.

The PDP President said that the NC-led government had virtually abandoned its duty towards the people of the State and the governance crisis presided over by the previous regime has taken a massive toll in all areas and regions of the State. “Even the basic amenities like drinking water, irrigation facilities, power supply and rations had become scarce because of the inefficiency of that regime,” she said and added that the terrible condition of the roads and traffic mismanagement had made the life miserable for the people.

“Major infrastructural interventions like the Prime Ministers Reconstruction Plan and ADB funding ran into problems as a result of casual approach of the previous dispensation,” she said and added that while in the villages the schemes like PMGSY and MGNREGA were being misused to fill the pockets of politicians and their favourites, in urban areas the landmark schemes like JNNURM and Integrated Development of Small & Medium Towns (IDSMT) were implemented at a snail’s pace. “The previous regime had become more famous for politico-contractor nexus that having done on tangible work on the ground,” she said and added that it was because of the political patronage of corruption by the NC regime that most of the infamous scams like BOPEE scam, spurious drug scam, PHE scam, JK Cricket Association scam and so many others surfaced during that period.

Mehbooba said as J&K was reeling under virtual governance-paralysis under NC rule, the devastating floods of September 2014 hit the State economy right in the head. “And the people and the State are still grappling with the aftereffects of the massive devastation,” she said.

She said the main challenge before the party today is governance and delivery as it assumed office amid trying circumstances which are completely in contrast to the situation in 2002. “We took over the reins of the Government in the backdrop of the massive devastation caused by the September 2014 floods and the subsequent systemic failure of the then government in responding to the tragic situation and reaching out to the affected people,” she said and added that the messy state of affairs was further aggravated by the financial and administrative mess left behind by the previous regime due to errant policies of its functionaries.

She said PDP’s agenda is not event-related and it is a process which is being and would be taken to the logical conclusion through tangible initiatives at political, economic and administrative fronts. “We have demonstrated that during our brief stint in power between 2002 and 2005, and would continue to pursue our core ideals and developmental agenda with unflinching consistency in our present tenure in the Government as well,” she said and added that the results would be there for the people to see sooner than later with substantial movement forward on tackling unemployment, infrastructure development and institution building, road upgradation, academic improvement, building of health institutions, power and water supply augmentation, tourism promotion and other areas.

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