Jammu, Jun 19 (KNS): Senior National Conference leaders on Wednesday exuded confidence about forming a stable, strong and people friendly government in Jammu and Kashmir on its own, saying the biggest challenge would be to address to the political aspirations of the people of all the three regions, reviving developmental activities and generating jobs for youth.

“National Conference is the only party having its vibrant presence in every nook and corner of all the regions of the state”, General Secretary Ali Mohammed Sagar said while addressing workers of Nowshera and Kalakote assembly constituencies at Sunderbani, during first leg of the two-day tour of Rajouri and Poonch districts, this afternoon.

Sagar referred to the recent win of National Conference on all the three parliamentary seats it contested and exuded confidence that the party will emerge hugely victorious in the assembly elections. He recalled the performance of the party in 1996 assembly elections when National Conference bagged 57 seats in the state, 17 in the Jammu region. “It is because of the deep rooted presence and vibrant cadre base of the party across the state”, he added.

Sagar said that National Conference has a chequred history of public service, as enshrined in Naya Kashmir Charter, adding that it will give every sacrifice for upholding the dignity and identity of the people of the state. He also stressed the need for preserving the idea of India by promoting and strengthening its inclusive ethos. He said National Conference has shown the way during most testing times of history by upholding the spirit of communal harmony, which continues to remain its political philosophy.

On the overall political situation in the State, the General Secretary said that a discernible change can be brought about under the able and dynamic leadership of Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah.

“While taking an overview of the political scene, who else but the towering leadership of the National Conference can lead the state”, Sagar asked while emphasizing that the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have been its source of strength and fountain head of power.

The General Secretary urged the Governor’s administration for stepping up development and strengthening of grievance redressal mechanism, as people were suffering on account of various services. He also sought special attention towards employment generation, keeping in view disenchantment among the educated unemployed youth.

Speaking on the occasion, Provincial President Devender Singh Rana said that National Conference is a force to reckon with, which is all set to give the state a strong and vibrant government on its own.

“We are going to improve our 1996 tally, given the overwhelming support of the people”, Rana said, adding that the first and foremost task would be to assuage the regional and sub-regional aspirations and putting the state back on the rails of development and progress. He accused the previous PDP-BJP dispensation of derailing the developmental tempo initiated and sustained by successive National Conference dispensations. The thread left in 2014 is to be picked again to give momentum to development, job creation and intilling sense of security among the people, he maintained.

Rana blamed the PDP and the BJP for failing the people of the state, especially those living in the border, remote and backward areas. The insensitive dispensation, which betrayed the people all over, virtually left the border dwellers in lurch.

“We will have to undo the wrongs committed by the BJP and the PDP”, Mr Rana said while assuring the border dwellers that National Conference was always with them, especially in the times of distress.

Sagar and Rana exhorted the cadre to further intensify their public outreach campaign, identify their problems for seeking redressal at appropriate levels besides gearing up for the upcoming assembly polls.

In his address, former MLA Kalakote Th Rachpal Singh listed the problems being faced by the border dwellers while assailing insensitivity of the BJP and the PDP in adding to these during their misrule.

Th Rachpal Singh said that the border people were feeling cheated by the previous dispensation, be it the development or jobs to educated youth. He said this sense of despair is needed to be referssed, adding that this can be done only by the National Conference government.

State Secretary Rattan Lal Gupta also addressed the workers. (KNS)