Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA Apr 16: National Conference president and former Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today expressed his deep disappointment with the PDP-BJP dispensation for backtracking from promises made to the people, pre-and-post-2014 elections, forcing different segments of society to take to streets for fulfillment of their demands.
“A peculiar situation is prevailing across Jammu and Kashmir with people feeling a sense of deprivation and neglect from the Government which is working at cross purposes”, Dr Farooq Abdullah said while addressing striking workers of the Public Health Engineering Department at Katra this afternoon.
He expressed solidarity with casual, daily, seasonal and need based workers of the department who were on indefinite strike in support of their demands and asked the Chief Minister to understand their plight as their careers were at peril. “Their demands are justified and need immediate redressal”, he said, adding that National Conference appreciates the agonies and miseries of workers, who are feeling hard pressed to support their families. He stressed the need for regularising different categories of workers on immediate basis.
Dr Abdullah was accompanied by Provincial president National Conference Devender Singh Rana.
Earlier, addressing workers at Bamyal in Reasi, the former Chief Minister called for a collective effort to combat growing tendencies of religious intolerance across the country, saying this was biggest challenge to very idea of India. He emphasized the crucial need of amity and harmony, describing these pivotal for progress and prosperity of the country.
Dr Abdullah said those fighting in the name of religion were ignoring that fundamentally every religion preaches peace, tranquility, amity and brotherhood. “Unless this spirit is imbibed and promoted, there will be no harmony in the society”, he maintained.
“We have to keep this spirit alive”, he said and urged the party workers to take pledge of spreading the message of communal amity and brotherhood in every locality. He also urged the Gujjars and downtrodden segments of society to concentrate on education of their children, saying this alone can put them in good stead to face the most competitive world with confidence.
Meanwhile, while welcoming a Sarpanch and several people in the party fold during a function at Nagrota today, Dr Abdullah said that the State is passing through a difficult stage and there is need for a collective effort to steer it to peace and tranquility.
Dr Abdullah recalled the key role played by National Conference during most testing times in making a turnaround in the situation and instilling sense of security and safety among people. “This spirit is needed to be invoked to ensure dignified and secured life for the people across the State”, he added.
Welcoming the new entrants, the former Chief Minister exuded confidence that with the joining of public-spirited and dedicated people the party will become stronger at grass roots level. MLA Nagrota Devender Singh Rana was also present on the occasion.
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