KL Report
SRINAGAR
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said after having lost the regional character National Conference has now reduced itself to a mere tool of fragmentation and division of votes which is what the RSS aims at in order to grab power in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The popular base of the National Conference as an organization has now drastically shrunk and it now comprises of a group of individuals leaders who are trying to survive in politics under its banner which has become a liability for them,” she said while addressing various roadside meetings in Sonawari assembly segment of Bandipora district.
Mehbooba said the National Conference, which for a long time had been a dominant political force in Jammu and Kashmir, has lost its clout among the people because of its repeated sellouts and compromises which it kept on doing for the sake of power.
“NC has not only transformed itself into an available appendage for sharing power either with Congress or BJP but it has reduced itself to a mere tool of fragmentation and division of votes,” she said adding the party over the years has done a serious damage to its popularity and the Omar Abdullah’s current six year’s tenure has proved proverbial ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’.
The PDP Chief said the NC has lost its ability to represent the aspirations of the people and that is the reason it has been virtually wiped out from the political scene of the state.
“In spite of the overwhelming mandate and support of the people it used to get over the decades, the NC always failed to identity itself with the people and instead considered them its slaves who will anytime help it to grab power. But the people have become now mature enough to understand the politics of exploitation and are recognizing the PDP as a credible alternative,” said Mehbooba. That is why the people across the board and even from NC are extending support to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed so as to enable him address the challenges facing the state, she said.
Mehbooba said the NC has got as slim lead in only six assembly segments in this year’s Lok Sabha polls, and the party along with some other smaller groups is being kept alive on oxygen to serve the purpose of certain forces to help them in their designs to divide the votes in the Kashmir Valley, so that a united voice doesn’t emerge from here.
Mehbooba said RSS and BJP are trying to implement their sinister agenda of saffronising Jammu and Kashmir by consolidating the votes of one community and fragmenting the other. She said this is a very dangerous game and willingly or unwillingly the NC and some other elements are becoming partners in this intrigue against the distinct pluralistic identity of the state.
The PDP President said the writing on the wall is clear to NC leadership that it has been rejected by the people now and Omar Abdullah’s decision of leaving his “home turf”- Ganderbal-for some “safe” seats elsewhere tells it all.
Mehbooba said gone are the days when mandate of NC was considered to be a passport to victory but things have changed now as people are not anymore willing to fight elections on its tickets. “As late as 2011 as was revealed in the aftermath of Haji Yousuf’s murder involving Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah’s residence even MLC berths were sold for Rs 1crore by the NC leadership, but situation has changed now,” she said.
