People will decide PDP’s existence
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 21: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said that his party will resist through voice and vote and made it clear that guns and stones won’t resolve the issues.
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“People of J&K are facing tough times, particularly the unjust incarceration of innocent youth. However, guns and stones will not resolve the issues but we will resist through vote and voice,” she said while addressing a gathering at Kokernag in Anantnag district.
The PDP president said that upcoming elections serve as a crucial platform to resist the erosion of Jammu and Kashmir’s identity and interests. Pointing to issues such as land appropriation, resource exploitation, and rampant unemployment, she called on voters to recognize the broader significance of their participation beyond mere infrastructural promises.
Mufti stated that during the upcoming elections, it will be decided whether the party does not exist or it lives in the hearts of the people of Kashmir.
Speaking to media persons after a roadshow in Larnoo area Anantnag district, the PDP president mentioned that the National Conference claimed that PDP does not exist and did not even prefer to consult her on the matter of seat sharing ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
“If we did not exist, we would not have seen a sea of people yesterday in Pahalgam and other areas during the campaigning; people will decide and answer it on their own whether PDP is gone or it lives in their hearts,” she said.
The former Chief Minister emphasized that during the time when PDP was in power, they ensured that people got rid of the task force, POTA, and Ikhwan. “We also worked to ensure that the roads were opened and initiated a dialogue process; how can they say that we do not exist?”
She further stated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, considering the challenges they are facing, wanted a united effort from the PDP, National Conference, and other parties.
Mufti urged workers and activists of various political parties to support the PDP in the upcoming elections, urging them to rise above partisan politics and fight for the safeguarding of the region’s core identity and interests.
Appealing to workers of rival parties, including the NC and Congress, the PDP president urged them to recognize the gravity of the situation and unite in the common cause. Stressing that the election is not merely about amenities but about safeguarding fundamental freedoms and rights.
Mufti warned against succumbing to external pressures that seek to plunder the region of its resources, lands, and jobs.
Regarding the recent comments made by Chaudhary Mohammad Akram, who equated the Congress with BJP upon joining NC, Mehbooba remarked that the Congress must rethink its alliance with the National Conference.
“He said that there is no difference between Congress and BJP and that both the parties are the same. His father was a part of the Congress, and what worse could he (Akram) have said about the Congress party,” she said.
Mufti added that the National Conference used to refer to the Congress workers as ‘Gandi naali ke keede’ (vermin of the dirty drain). “This is a significant statement that has come from him. What could be worse? The congress workers have to rethink their alliance with NC because it is being considered by NC as the B team of BJP,” she said.
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