Imran Ansari accuses PAGD leadership of fielding proxy candidates in DDC elections

Asks Sajad Lone for introspection for allying with PAGD

Asks Sajad Lone for introspection for allying with PAGD

Srinagar, Jan 9 (KNS):  Prominent Shia leader and General Secretry People's Conference Imran Raza Ansari has accused the PAGD leadership of fielding proxy  candidates in DDC elections and asked his party Chief Sajad Gani Lone to go for introspection for trusting  PAGD .

Ansari in a letter to Sajad Lone that lies with KNS said, "I am writing to you in reference to the recent statements made by Mr. Abdul Gani Vakil. From the outset, I would strongly urge you take this letter of mine in the proper spirit and not in any manner think that this is a letter challenging your decisions and authority in the party. 

"The call of introspection made by  Vakil must be taken in the proper spirit in which it has been made. It does not mean that we are against the spirit of PAGD or the objectives of the PAGD. But in wake of the deceitful behavior shown by our allies by fielding proxy candidates in almost all DDC constituencies, we need to seriously think whether PAGD collectively possesses the sincerity that the people of J & K deserve.In the context of proxy candidates, I will narrate my own personal experience. Pattan had two DDC segments and both were allotted to Peoples Conference and we fielded two candidates on behalf of the PAGD. Would you Sajad sahib care to explain why did the NC leaders including the current Parliament member of NC, and their constituency head hold indoor meetings and campaigned against these two candidates of PAGD. Their involvement in Pattan was so much that the member of Parliament fared very badly in his own Assembly constituency because he was solely focused on defeating the Peoples Conference candidate fighting on the PAGD mandate," reads letter issued to KNS.
"Now let me bring to your kind notice the other facet of deceit. We were allotted seats to fight in the neighboring Sonawari Assembly segment but NC put up candidates and not by proxy but on proper NC mandate. You would know better Sir that the party nomination form is signed by the party president. The president of PAGD Dr Farooq Abdullah signed the mandate for a particular DDC segment in our favor and then Dr Farooq Abdullah as the president of NC also signed the nomination form of an NC candidate in the same DDC segment. So what are we up against. This is not gossip or something unverifiable. This a documented fact. You can check the records. This has happened with other parties too.Now let me draw your attention to our bastion district Kupwara. May I ask you who did we fight against in the DDC seats allotted to us. The BJP candidates got hardly a few hundred votes. Who voted against us? Sajad sahib is it not time to tell the truth to the people. Our cadres know it, NC cadres know it. We were fighting the NC. It was a typical NC vs PC fight. When you went out to campaign who were you campaigning for and who were you campaigning against. Our senior leader and ex MLA Bashir Ahmed Dar sahib openly named the top NC leaders of the area on the stage in a large public gathering where you were also present. Did you not promise the people in your speech that you will ensure that action is taken against those who fielded proxy candidates? I am just asking, “where is the action against those leaders who defied PAGD and fielded proxy candidates against PAGD," it reads.

The letter alos reads, "I also want to take up the issue of seats allotted to us. We did not object and did not question you when out of 140 seats in the valley we were allotted ten seats. In the last parliament elections held in 2019, you have said in many interviews and meetings that we stood second in the valley and secured approximately 27% of the vote share amongst the three parties combined vote share (PC/NC/PDP). Even as per the selective and flawed process by the PAGD for allocation of DDC seats, is this all that they had on offer for us. When Vakil sahib and me confronted you, we were shouted down. In our recent meeting with the elected DDC members you talked about PC having a strike rate of 80 % while both NC and PDP have a strike rate of less than 40%. You also said that PC has taken about 5000 votes per seat that they contested while NC has taken around 1000 votes per seat contested and PDP has taken about 800 votes per seat contested. Sir, have you discussed these statistics with the PAGD leadership. Have you discussed the blind greed in taking mandates with poor results to show now?"

" You served the same notice to me when I met the Lieutenant Governor. Why was I prohibited from going when today an official delegation of the National Conference and Mr. Yusuf Tarigami have gone to meet the Lieutenant Governor. I don’t for a moment challenge your authority and your leadership but I am saying that too much of simplicity and taking people on face value may do a lot of damage to the party. Sir, let me also draw your attention to the political aspects. Mr. Omar Abdullah said that these elections were a referendum on August 5.  Our party position is clear. We are against August 5 and will do what it takes to fight for the restoration of our rights. I have a simple question for Mr. Omar Abdullah. If indeed it was a referendum who did the NC cadres vote for or against in the referendum. It is simple. A vote for PAGD was a vote against August 5. But in many constituencies NC voted against PAGD through their proxies. So NC in Pattan, Singhpora, Ramhall, Chowkibal etc segments voted against PAGD thereby voted in favor of August 5. Isn’t this cheating. How can you keep quiet on such issues? And if it was such an important referendum why didn’t the NC come out and campaign. This is a question which Sajad sahib I ask you. Their absence from campaign raises doubts about their seriousness in, as Omar sahib puts it, referendum on August 5," it states.


" have written this letter in all sincerity. I want you to introspect. I want our party to be at the forefront fighting for the cause of the people in a transparent manner. I am in no way against the stated objectives of PAGD. We support the stated objectives which you have coscripted with them. But it is difficult to convince the people about the sincerity of intentions when they are themselves witness to deceitful behavior during the elections. People have asked me that if you PAGD guys cannot be trusted with cheating each other during DDC elections how can we trust you with bigger objectives."

"Seventeen months have passed since August 5 2017. It is too little time for us political leaders to go back to the old and cheap political rhetoric. There is a lot that has to be achieved and that can only be achieved in a fair and transparent manner. Please don’t underestimate the forces that you are pitted against. It will be a mammoth job. We are with you. And we believed in your vision of collective action. But collective action will work if there is sincerity. The past two months have shown that there is no sincerity in this alliance.

I implore upon you to convene a meeting of the working committee and also of the newly elected DDC members. With all humility Sajad sahib you have to be ready to answer questions that we all have,  " he asked Sajad Lone.(KNS)

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