SRINAGAR: Former minister and Sr State Vice President National Conference on Thursday assailed the PDP-BJP government for betraying mandate of the people, saying growing public disenchantment is a reflection of dismal performance of the coalition on all the fronts, a party spokesman said.
“Both, the PDP and BJP exploited regional and religious sentiment to hilt, not only by whipping up passions but also by making hollow promises about development and addressing the issues of border dwellers who have suffered the most due to intermittent shelling from across the border”, Slathia said during his tour of various border villages and while interacting with workers at Showni in Abtal Panchayat of the Vijaypur Assembly Constituency.
Responding to the anger of people in forward areas, the former minister questioned the sincerity of the government in creating shelter sheds and allotting promised five marla plots for constructing safe houses. He expressed concern over the lackadaisical approach of the government towards the accumulated problems of the border dwellers, as economic activity and farming have come to grinding halt due to fear psychosis.
“More importantly, the academics of children has been impacted adversely”, Slathia said, adding that the future of the young generation stands jeopradised under the present dispensation. He said anti-youth policies of the PDP-BJP duo has stopped the process of carrying out special drives in recruitment to police and other para-military forces contemplated by the Omar Abdullah led government. Along-side youth, every segment of the society, especially daily rated workers have been hit under the BJP partnered rule. “BJP had made lofty promises with the people but when it came to deliverance, they raised hands”, he said, adding that development has been pushed to backburner, welfare schemes almost abandoned and the utility services left unattended .
Slathia said the semblance of governance is nowhere to be felt and the sound foundations laid during the NC led government between 2009 and 2014 has been negated and the people left to fend for themselves. He cautioned the coalition government to see writing on wall and try to meet minimum expectations of people. He said the coalition partners were raking up more controversies by indulging in real politick rather than attending to the woes and problems of the people. As a consequence the state is suffering profusely, he said and added that there seems no cohesion between the PDP and BJP on important matters of governance.
Slathia said the coalition government has lost its direction and its myopic vision has caused a developmental vacuum, which if not addressed push the people to wall. He expressed anguish over dilapidated road network in the wake of monsoon rains and ill kempt utility services.
