STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: National Conference on Sunday accused ruling coalition partners PDP and BJP in Jammu and Kashmir of playing opportunistic politics and polarizing the state for electoral gains.
“PDP and BJP are playing opportunistic politics and despite pretending to be ideologically different, they were pulling on together in the government with the common agenda of polarizing the state for electoral gains,” party President Farooq Abdullah said.
The NC chief said that “growing communal polarization” across the country was undermining India’s secular ethos and rich tradition of pluralism that made Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah align with a “secular” India.
“Frequent and selective targeting of a particular community by fringe elements is further alienating Kashmiri youths from national mainstream as these incidents give a lot of ammunition to forces inimical peace, who exploit the situation,” he said.
“India has to grow as a vibrant inclusive and tolerant nation for which religious harmony is imperative…Any untoward incident anywhere across the country is bound to have negative fallout in the Valley where various forces are active to disturb peace,” he said.
No efforts at winning hearts and minds of Kashmiri youths will succeed “as long as believers of communal politics continue to take centrestage and get official patronage”, Abdullah said.
Elaborating his point, the National Conference President referred to unprecedented unity displayed in the Valley by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs during 1947 by challenging the raiders collectively with wooden guns and chanting slogans of amity. “Similarly, the people of Jammu rose to the occasion when a segment of society migrated from Kashmir in 1990”, he said while emphasising the need for maintaining this time tested unity, based on the State’s unique composite ethos, and preserving single entity of Jammu and Kashmir. “The day any of the two binding factors-religious and regional unity– weakens, the future of the State will be in peril”, he added.
Dr Abdullah came down heavily on opportunistic politics being played by PDP-BJP coalition and said that despite pretending to be ideologically different they were pulling on together in the government with a similar agenda of polarising the State for electoral gains. “PDP ran with the hares to feign sympathy and empathy for the people of Kashmir and today they are unabashedly hunting with the proverbial hounds after having bartered their mandate at the altar of political power”, Dr. Farooq said.
Without referring to Mehbooba Mufti’s latest posturing, the National Conference President said that people of Kashmir have a right to know whether PDP stands with those they befriended and consequently betrayed during the period of armed turmoil in the Valley or their new-found allies who want to enforce their specific definitions of nationalism on the people of the country in general and the State of Jammu and Kashmir in particular.
The National Conference President cautioned people against the elements playing divisive politics based on region and religion. He said those practising religion based politics were actually using religion for furthering their petty political agenda.
Provincial President Devender Singh Rana also addressed the gathering and stressed the need for maintaining unity and tranquillity by isolating divisive elements.
He exhorted the cadre to fan out in their areas and carry the message of peace, unity and amity, which forms bedrock of the National Conference philosophy.
District President NC Jammu Urban Dharamveer Singh Jamwal besides Ashok Singh Manhas were present on the occasion.
Earlier, Dr Farooq Abdullah along with Rana met the Vice Presidents of Jammu Province at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan and discussed party affairs. He took stock of the functioning of various district units in the region besides other wings of the party.
Dr Abdullah sought detailed feedback about the party activities at the district and block levels and called for further rejuvenating the cadre to meet the challenges unfolded by uncertain political environment in the State.
“Jammu and Kashmir is passing through a difficult stage and National Conference has a huge role in steering the State to political stability and peace”, he observed and urged the functionaries to monitor functioning of various units across the region. Besides Jammu based State Vice Presidents, the meeting was attended by all the Provincial Vice Presidents of Jammu who discussed the party functioning threadbare. Later, some prominent youth activists of Jammu joined National Conference in presence of Dr Farooq Abdullah and Devender Singh Rana. The two leaders exuded confidence that their joining will further make the party stronger at the grass roots level.
