PDP leader says NC “surrendered everything to Delhi,” urges party to introspect ahead of Budgam bypoll
Suhail Rather
Srinagar, Oct 31 (KNS): Peoples Democratic Party Constituency Incharge for Bandipora, Nayeem Akhter, on Friday said that the National Conference is facing an unprecedented crisis and has “lost the ability to manage its own contradictions,” urging the party to introspect and return to truth-based politics.
Speaking to reporters, Akhter said that for the first time in its 80-year history, the NC is struggling to manage its own “lies and deals.” “The National Conference is going through a deep crisis. For the first time, it has become difficult for them to manage their own contradictions. Their lies are being exposed every day,” he said.
Referring to the recent cross-voting controversy, Akhter said many people believe the episode was more than a political accident. “They call it cross-voting, but many people say it was a deal. Whatever it was, it shows that the party is in deep turmoil,” he added.
Akhter accused the NC leadership of surrendering to Delhi rather than defending Jammu and Kashmir’s interests. “They took the people’s votes and went to Delhi. They created the impression that what was done to Kashmir in 2019 was a favour to us. To repay that favour, Omar Abdullah went to Delhi and presented a shawl at their feet,” he said.
The PDP leader said the NC’s failure to raise the real issues of Jammu and Kashmir in and outside the Assembly could make the mainstream space irrelevant. “If even after winning 50 seats, the NC cannot speak for the rights and dignity of Jammu and Kashmir, then the whole mainstream will lose its relevance,” Akhter said.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
He said the mainstream once derived legitimacy from late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s politics in 2002, which gave a new direction and credibility to democratic politics in the region. “It was Mufti Sahib’s three years in power that restored the faith of people in democracy. But the NC’s surrender has once again put that mainstream legitimacy at risk,” he added.
Calling the upcoming Budgam bypoll a “decisive moment,” Akhter said it would reflect the public mood across Jammu and Kashmir. “Budgam will decide not just for one constituency, but for the politics of the entire region. People can give a shock treatment to the government and force it to return to the people’s agenda,” he said.
Akhter also hit out at Omar Abdullah for opposing the government’s proposal to regularise small residential constructions on state land. “If a poor person builds a small house on land that historically belonged to Kashmiris, why shouldn’t he be given ownership? This happens in every city across India. But when it comes to Kashmir, it’s called land jihad,” he said.
He alleged that the BJP and NC were both “pushing Kashmiris to the wall” by distorting narratives. “The BJP wants to defame Kashmiris, and the NC is losing its plot by falling into the same trap,” he said.
Akhter said PDP’s focus remains on connecting with people at the grassroots. “We are reactivating our old cadres and meeting people in villages. Our relationship with Bandipora is deep, and we want it to continue,” he said. (KNS)