KL Report
SRINAGAR
Senior PDP leader and Member Parliament, Tariq Hameed Karra Sunday said that Srinagar has to be part of the movement for change as boycott has only resulted in systemic disempowerment of its residents in political decision-making.
“I am seeing overwhelming desire for change among the State’s people especially the youth and hope that the emancipated residents of Srinagar would be on the forefront of this movement for change in the larger interest of the City’s welfare,” Karra said while addressing a series of election rallies in Hazratbal assembly segment to enlist support for the party candidate Asiya Naqash.
He said remaining aloof from the democratic processes has not only resulted in massive developmental deficit in this historic city, but systemic political disempowerment of its inhabitants as well. “But this time around poll boycott is loaded with bigger political danger looming not only over Srinagar but whole of Kashmir as BJP and RSS are going to use it as a tool for tactical rigging in favor of their candidates and cohorts,” he said and added that ironically if such a scenario emerges after polls, the separatists will be seen as contributors in installing a BJP government in the State.
Karra said the people of Srinagar owe it to themselves and to the future generations, not to let their power to determine the State’s destiny, be misused by people inimical to the State’s special status. “It was as a result of low voting percentage in Srinagar in 2008 assembly polls that NC was able to manipulate numbers against the public sentiment,” he said adding; “Let that not happen this time.”
Accusing NC of having exploited the public sentiment throughout its existence and not learnt any lessons from either its own follies or the plight of the State, Karra said it is because of NC’s exploitative politics that the successive generations of our people had to suffer worst kind of deprivation, violence and powerlessness.
He said it was for the people to judge the performance of different parties and leaders. Though PDP had been in the field only for less than a decade, this party, he said has brought changes of fundamental nature into the State’s political and economic system. “Not only did we provide a credible political alternative, but PDP can humbly claim that it has tried its best, and succeeded to a large extent, in providing the best government ever to the people, albeit for a very brief stint between 2002 and 2005,” he said.
