Aasif Malik
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‎Srinagar, Sep 20 (KNS): Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari on Sunday told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that his politics was keeping him away from the majority of people in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the BJP’s votes in the Union Territory came from a “special group” to which most people did not belong.
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‎Addressing a party workers’ convention at Parraypora in Srinagar, Bukhari said the Centre should look at Jammu and Kashmir beyond electoral politics and not through the prism of the National Conference and the PDP.
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‎“We know that your politics keeps you away from the majority of people in J&K. Mr Prime Minister, but politics won’t help you in everything,” Bukhari said.
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‎“We also know that the vote you get is from a special group and unfortunately the majority of the people in J&K don’t belong to that group. Don’t we have the right to live? Won’t you let us live?” he said.
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‎Bukhari asked the Prime Minister whether the youth of Jammu and Kashmir would continue to be kept “in the dark” and “behind bars”, saying his party did not accept such a situation.
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‎“Will you always keep the youth of J&K in the dark? Will you always keep the youth behind bars? We don’t accept this. Whatever we have to do for this, our party will do it,” he said.
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‎He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had chosen the path of peace and questioned what they should do if their concerns continued to remain unheard.
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‎“Prime Minister, today the people of Jammu and Kashmir have chosen the path of peace. If even after choosing the path of peace, no one will listen to them, then to whom will they go?” Bukhari said.
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‎He specifically referred to difficulties faced by some people in obtaining verification certificates, passports and government jobs.
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‎“Even today, if their children are not getting verification certificates, their children are not getting passports, their children are not getting government jobs, then what will they do?” he said.
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‎Bukhari also reminded the Prime Minister of the assurances given on restoration of statehood and protection of land and jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.
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‎“You promised that you will return the statehood, you will protect your lands, you will protect your jobs. Where are those constitutional guarantees?” he asked.
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‎“Okay, you issued an order, but where are the constitutional guarantees?” he said.
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‎Bukhari also referred to the assurance that the Centre would engage with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to understand their problems and find solutions.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
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‎Bukhari asked Modi not to look at Jammu and Kashmir through the prism of the National Conference and the PDP, alleging that the two parties had failed to represent the people.
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‎“Mr Prime Minister, don’t look at J&K from the prism of the National Conference or PDP. They are two families. They don’t represent the people,” he said.
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‎He alleged that the two parties used emotional issues to secure votes and were concerned about the interests of their respective families.
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‎“By deceiving people, they take votes from people emotionally. But they are not sympathizers of the people. They are sympathizers of their families. They are only concerned about how their families will move forward,” Bukhari said.
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‎He said the Centre should not allow the politics of the two parties to determine its approach towards the people of J&K.
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‎Bukhari also spoke about people whose families, he said, continued to face problems because of events of the 1990s.
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‎He said some people had made a “mistake” in 1990 but had subsequently chosen the path of peace, yet their families continued to face verification-related difficulties.
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‎“Some people made a mistake in 1990. At that time, the situation was the same all over the world. They chose a path that was perhaps not right. But if they chose the path of peace again in 1991, even today they are called to the police station. Even today, they are not given verification,” he said.
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‎Bukhari said even children born after those events were facing consequences linked to their parents.
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‎“How long will this lion and goat story go on? After all, this has to be addressed,” Bukhari said.
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‎Bukhari also demanded an inquiry into Srinagar’s master plan, alleging that residential areas had witnessed extensive commercial construction.
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‎“I demand that an inquiry should be conducted on the master plan and it should be told who is responsible for the destruction of the city of Srinagar, who was the one who made the master plan and for whom it was made,” he said.
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‎He said colonies considered residential for the last 40 years were now facing problems because of the construction of large commercial buildings.
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‎“The colonies which were believed to be residential colonies for the last 40 years, even those colonies do not have a way to go inside. Even there, such big commercial buildings have been constructed that the children cannot go outside,” he added.(KNS)