KL Report
SRINAGAR
While alleging the governments in the state are actually ‘made in Delhi’ and are the major reason for democracy being unable to take firm roots in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has said as long as the impression that external elements can influence the outcome of elections lingered efforts at changing the atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty would fail.
Addressing a public meeting in Lolab, Kupwara today Mufti said, “The democracy is an idea and a way of life that has to have complete freedom from curbs and restrictions the state has witnessed for one reason or the other.” And added that the ability of people to elect their own government and discretion to change them is the first requirement for their empowerment. “But unfortunately with only a few exceptions there has been a strong element of doubt about the fairness of polls in J&K.”
As per a statement the PDP patron has said while there was a huge responsibility on the central leadership in ensuring free and fair elections, the people of the state too had to respond to this situation with courage and wisdom. He said the 2008 elections established that only those constituencies which recorded low polling percentage were vulnerable to so called management and tactical rigging. “I hope next time the people, especially in the urban areas would not give political parties a chance to take them for a ride in the name of boycott. You can make us all politicians and parties accountable only by using your vote effectively to reward those who perform and punish those who run away with your vote only to turn against you”, he told the people.
Mufti has also said as the elections draw closer the National Conference had started making noises about state’s eroded political authority and the exploitation of water and power resources. He said that NC was singularly responsible for the power mess in the state for its mismanagement of available resources and primarily for selling out the projects to NHPC. “It remains a mystery as to why Dr Farooq Abdullah had to hand over seven most feasible power projects to the NHPC in 2000 at a time when he enjoyed unprecedented majority in the assembly with as many as 65 MLAs. Was it only to please his then NDA allies and pay a tribute to them for giving a junior ministership to his son even without entering into a proper agreement with NHPC? Whatever the reason the disastrous trend started by Dr Farooq Abdullah continued with the present coalition that handed over another three projects under the highly lopsided arrangement with NHPC in the garb of a so called joint venture in which the state is a loser in spite of owning the water.” Not only this, Mufti said the shift to the Reserve Bank of India from our own J&K Bank is proving a mighty blow against the state’s development process. He said these sell outs have had a devastating impact on state’s economy but PDP would strive to reverse the situation with people’s help and support.
