Jammu, Jan 28 (KNS): Emphasising on the role of a public representative in the Legislative Assembly, former minister and MLA Amirakadal Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today said that he is accountable to his conscience and to his people who have elected him to raise their issues in the House.
While talking to reporters outside the Legislative Assembly in Jammu, Bukhari pledged that he will always strive for what he believes is worth striving for. “I will continue to raise public importance issues in the Assembly no matter how successful or unsuccessful I am. Besides that I am of this conviction that I shall never raise any issue which is not in the interest of people of my Constituency, City or the State,” he remarked further.
Asked if he was satisfied as an MLA and did not feel ignored by the present government, Bukhari said: “There is no question of ignoring Srinagar city. I am satisfied and content as MLA of my people and am not looking for anything.”
Bukhari who raised many important issues wherein he criticised the functioning of the ministries like PDD, Housing and Horticulture during the current budget session, said as an MLA he represents whole of the people of his constituency and not his voters or supporters alone.
“I am accountable to my conscience. I follow my people and my conscience only. While criticising the functioning of Housing and PDD department yesterday, what I meant was that the elected representatives were not being taken on board in formulation of housing and its allied policies for cities like Srinagar,” remarked the MLA Amirakadal who headed Public Works Ministry in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led government.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Bukhari said that while the Honb’le MLAs are being taken on board by the rural development ministry in rural areas, the elected representatives in Srinagar city were not being consulted particularly in implementation of various centrally sponsored schemes like, Housing for All, AMRUT and Swach Bharat Mission.
He said that it is a universal reality that the MLAs are elected by their voters and supporters but once they land in the Assembly, they are supposed to raise public issues in general and not only those issues that pertain or affect their voters in their respective constituencies.
“We all in this House are elected by our voters but once we take oath as MLAs, we are supposed to represent all sections of our constituency irrespective of their political affiliations. While being in the Cabinet I always raised public issues vehemently and now I am proud to represent my people in the Assembly as their MLA. My criticism on functioning of any department does not mean that I have lost something. I am content and enjoy myself as MLA of my people,” he observed, adding that he elections are not won on the basis of number of name plates engraved in foundation stones but by the performance on the ground alone. (KNS)