Jammu, Oct 23 (KNS): Saying politics of hate and intolerance was against the idea of India, Provincial President National Conference Devender Singh Rana on Friday lambasted divisive forces for bringing peace loving people eyeball to eyeball situation to further their myopic political agenda.
“The situation in various parts of the country is horrendous”, Rana said while addressing a day-long convention of party workers at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan here this afternoon, and blamed the present dispensation in the Centre for promoting dissent and generating wedge between various communities.
Rana warned divisive forces not to test the unity of J&K people, saying their covert machinations of trifurcating the state will have nation-wide consequences as single entity of Jammu and Kashmir is in the larger interests of nation. Any move to disturb singularity of the state may lead to disintegration in the country. He blamed the BJP for vitiating atmosphere by perpetrating political uncertainty, not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also elsewhere, which has manifested in unrest in sensitive states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi. He regretted over communal discord in various parts of the country, saying the ugly incidents like Dadri, Faridabad and Udhampur were disturbing. In this context, he made a mention of the analogy drawn by Union Minister of State General V K Singh comparing two Dalit toddlers with dogs, saying “this speaks of the mental frame and insensitivity of BJP leaders.
“BJP has brought the situation to such a morass that people are compelled to look for their identity”, he said and cited the example of Jammu and Kashmir which withstood test of times under the sagacious leadership of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. “His commitment to secularism remains corner stone of this sensitive state, which is needed to be preserved at All costs”, he said.
The Provincial President dwelt upon the machinations being perpetrated for weakening Jammu and Kashmir, saying any such attempt will be fraught with serious ramifications and shall be resisted forcefully. He described Article 35-A of the Constitution as identity of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, saying the proponents of repealing this provision have unleashed a sinister, malicious and misleading campaign by describing Article 35-A as religion and region specific. He termed this Article as a safeguard to the rights of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists of the State.
Referring to the governance deficit in Jammu and Kashmir, the Provincial President said that the coalition partners were working at cross purposes. He said the problems of the people have been pushed to backburner while controversial issues were being raised and encouraged to divert the attention of people from failure of the government on all fronts. Listing the approach of the alliance partners towards various contentious issues, he blamed the BJP of double speak, saying their public posturing on waving of service tax on helicopter operations is a latest in the series of hoodwinking public opinion. “Their promise of getting the tax exempted speaks of their vulnerable placement in the government as they don’t matter at all”, he maintained.
He also pooh-poohed tall claims of the coalition about special central package, running into thousands of crore rupees, saying these did not only proved hoax but a big joke with the people, especially those having suffered due to last year’s floods and rains. “Not a single penny has been disbursed as compensation or relief”, Rana added.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
The Provincial President congratulated the newly nominated office bearers of various committees of Youth National Conference on behalf of the Working President, Omar Abdullah, who could not make to the function due to some technical snag at Jammu Airport. He said Omar was keen to be amidst young party workers during the day long convention.
Speaking on the occasion, former minister and senior party leader Ajay Sadhotra said that National Conference stands guarantee to amity, brotherhood and unity between various segments of people in all the three regions of the State.
He recalled the pioneering role of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah in binding the state as a single entity and said this singular feature makes the state as a unique symbol across the country.
Sadhotra lambasted at the BJP led NDA Government, saying it has failed to lead the nation and meet the aspirations of the people. He referred to communal tension generated in various parts of the country and said this is not a good omen for a nation, known for its unity in diversity.
Addressing the convention, former minister and senior leader Surjeet Singh Slathia said the state was passing through a difficult phase with people finding themselves having been left to lurch by the insensitive government.
Slathia referred to failures of the present PDP-BJP coalition, saying the people have realized their mistake of handing over the reins to inexperienced and irrational elements who know nothing but dividing people by inciting passions. He said National Conference also can ensure Jammu and Kashmir as a united and prosperous state and urged the people to strengthen the party at grass roots level.
In his welcome address, Provincial Youth National Conference President Ajaz Jan said that youth of the state had galvanized behind the young party leadership after getting disappointed by the regressive and anti-youth policies of the PDP-BJP coalition. He said recent decisions, especially about the educated unemployed, have created unrest among the youth, who feel let down by the government.
Jan referred to developmental inertia of the coalition government, saying the problems of the people were accumulating with each passing day. He expressed concern over delay in release of salaries to various segments of employees and withholding the payments of contractors, which has hit the labour class directly.
The Provincial Youth National Conference President also announced nomination of functionaries for various units at the grass roots level to make the party vibrant and responsive to public needs.
They include Reyaz Malik , Khalid Jahangir, Dr. Neil Jan Arora , S. Jaideep Singh Manocha and Sandeep Singh as District President and Provincial Vice Presidents.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included State Vice Presidents Syed Mushtaq Ahmed Shah Bukhari, Rattan Lal Gupta, Kashmira Singh, Central Secretaries Abdul Gani Malik and Th Rachpal Singh, Kamal Arora, MLA besides former legislators and senior party functionaries Babu Ram Pal, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Satpal Lakhotra, B L Bhat, s Deepender Kour and S Gurdeep Singh Sasan. Dharamveer Singh Jamwal, Chander Mohan Sharma, Jugal Mahajan, Anil Dhar, Choudhry Haroon, Rajesh Bakshi, Abdul Gani Teli, s Satwant Dogra, Dilshad Malik, Rashida Begum, Abdul Gani Malik, Mohinder Gupta, Reyaz Malik, Tanveer Ahmed, Kr Yashvardhan Singh and others. (KNS)