*Targets separatists, Omar, other vested interests
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 9: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today declared that she wouldn’t be deterred or cowed down by the “controversies being stirred deliberately” against the PDP-BJP coalition Government by certain “vested interests” saying the Government would complete its full remaining term of four and half years and carry forward the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former Chief Minister and her father.
Addressing gathering after inauguration of Government Degree College at Bhalwal and distribution of scooties among meritorious students of Government Degree Colleges, Parade and Gandhi Nagar along with Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, Mehbooba once again came down heavily on the separatists and endorsed the statement of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh that their (the separatists’) behaviour with some of the All Party Delegation (APD) members was neither `Insaniyat’ nor `Kashmiriyat’.
“Closing doors on the `mehman’ (guests) is not the Kashmiriyat. The separatists should have opened their doors for talks with those who had come to meet them in their houses,” she said, adding the separatists have missed a major opportunity of opening channels of talks with the Centre.
Mehbooba said “our country’s big leaders” like Sitaram Yechury of CPI(M), D Raja of CPI, Sharad Yadav of JD(U) and Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM “came to us for the sake of our children. Such honourable people went to the doorsteps (of separatists), but the doors were shut on them…
“I want to salute them and tell them that their effort has not gone waste and the people of the state understand that guests had come and if you (separatists) did not want to talk you could have shown courtesy by not closing the door. We will not let the opportunity slip.”
Asserting that vision of Narendra Modi and Mufti Sayeed, which they had seen for Jammu and Kashmir before formation of Government in Jammu and Kashmir, was most “dear and sacred” to the State Government, Mehbooba blamed some “vested interests”, albeit without naming them, for creating controversies on the name of Sainik Colony and Pandit Colony, to halt developmental agenda being pursued by the Government.
However, she declared, that she wouldn’t be deterred by the controversies and carry forward the Modi-Mufti vision in next four and half years remaining term of the State Government.
Mehbooba’s statement came just a day after senior People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, Muzaffar Hussain Beig said the Chief Minister, who also happens to be the PDP president, should resign after the unrest is over if she thinks that PDP-BJP Alliance is not working.
Saying that the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister (of Jammu and Kashmir) alone can’t solve the Kashmir problem, Mehbooba Mufti said it has to be united effort by all stakeholders including political parties, who had to take “bold initiatives” to address the issues collectively and find a solution to the problem.
Admitting that job of the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir was “very tough”, Mehbooba said Narendra Modi and Mufti Sayeed had come together to form the Government after taking a very “thoughtful decision”, which intended to take political process and governance together in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lavishing all praises on Narendra Modi for taking keen interest to address Kashmir problem, the Chief Minister said she had seen 2008 and 2010 unrest but Modi is the first Prime Minister, whose Government has appointed a Nodal Officer and set up toll free number for the people of Kashmir studying outside, if they faced any problem.
Describing India as “vibrant democracy”, Mehbooba said it has the capability to address any problem and hoped that those at the helm of affairs in the Centre will leave no stone unturned in finding solution to Kashmir problem and restore peace and normalcy in the State, which has been shattered for the past over two months.
Taking another dig at the separatists, the Chief Minister said that out of 63-day long unrest, the Government has imposed curfew only for 15 days while for rest of 48 days, the life was affected by strike called by the separatists.
“Look how they (the separatists) have been playing with the people of Kashmir especially the students, youth and children, apart from the trading community and tourists by spoiling their career and business,” she lamented and said these people can never be the well wishers of Kashmiris.
“It’s good that students of Jammu region are studying. They are attending their classes but some vested interests in the Valley were hell bent to spoil the career of students, trade and tourist season by frequently giving calls for hartals and stone pelting,” she regretted.
Pointing out that people from all walks of life have been facing “immense problems” due to hartal calls (given by the separatists), Mehbooba said the elderly people, who had to go for dialysis, the pregnant women, who had to go to hospitals for deliveries, the students, who had to go for studies, are suffering, which is not acceptable to majority of the people.
Taking former Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah to task for his oft-repeated statements that PDP-BJP Government has failed, Mehbooba said it was easy to say that the Government has failed but “we must know that we are fighting the forces, who were instigating children and youth to target security forces camps and police stations and become targets”. She added that the Government has been doing its best to deviate youth and children from the protests and their parents should also play their role.
“Farooq Abdullah had two-third majority in 1996. Omar Abdullah was a Union Minister then but they couldn’t do anything to address Kashmir issue,” she said, adding it was Atal Behari Vajpayee, who took bold initiatives in 2004 by visiting Pakistan and opening cross-LoC routes. The process was taken forward here by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed but, unfortunately, the UPA Government at the Centre and NC-Congress Government in the State abandoned the process.
Mehbooba said Jammu and Kashmir was not like “other normal states” and though it was easy to become the Chief Minister, it was a difficult task to handle the state.
Jammu and Kashmir is a “unique issue” which requires that the “political process and the governance must go together”, she said, adding “Only a Chief Minister or Prime Minister cannot resolve this issue. It has to be resolved by the people of our country.”
She said, “The Kashmir situation also depends on the role of Pakistan and if our relation with that country is good then it has a good impact in the State.”
Referring to the recent visit by an all-party delegation of MPs to the state, Mehbooba said “it was the beauty of the democracy of our country that when the interest of the country came, leaders of various political parties didn’t care for their self-esteem and went to the doorsteps” of the people for peace.
“The issue will be resolved when all political parties of the nation unite…To bring peace in the state. Our Home Minister visited the state thrice and then came with an all-party delegation,” she said.
The Chief Minister said some people only want “violence and bloodshed” which, according to her, would not resolve any issue.
“We don’t believe in bloodshed because the democracy of the country is strong enough to look after the people of the state. We need not to see anywhere else but towards the democracy of the country,” she said.
Mehbooba said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have lots of problems and the issue has various complications.
“If you talk of the government, our government is in such a critical situation that in 62 days there was strike for 45 days; schools were shuts, shops were closed and stones were pelted…It was a very tough phase in which various departments of our Government did a wonderful job,” she said.
Again, she said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Islamabad. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also visited Pakistan but the neighbouring country failed to reciprocate the gestures, she regretted.
Mehbooba lauded the people of Jammu region for foiling designs of vested interests to disturb peace and also staying calm. She hoped that peace would prevail in Jammu and it would return to Kashmir shortly.
According to an official handout, Mehbooba said as the resolution adopted at the All Party Meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday has reiterated the urgency of engagement and dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir, “we hope a fresh and productive effort would be made by the country’s political leadership to reach out to all the stakeholders in the State to address the issue through inclusive and comprehensive engagement.” She expressed the hope that the separatists would also respond positively to the fresh initiative to end the decades old political uncertainty in J&K, which has left behind a trail of tragedies in almost every home in Kashmir.
She said that violence is no solution to any problem, rather reposing faith in the dialogue process is the only way out to address the issues. She said that governance and political process should go hand in hand to overcome the tough times that the State is presently passing through.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of their age, gender, status or the political affiliation, have been suffering the disastrous consequences of the turmoil and unrest and they have to be retrieved from this blood-spattered quagmire, sooner the better,” she said and added that the onus lies on all the stakeholders.
The Chief Minister said that it must not have ever happened that in a period of two months the Union Home Minister visited a State thrice to reach out to the people and work out a way to address the issue.
She said the Government has faced difficult times in Kashmir and yet ensured that people have access to healthcare and are provided with basic amenities like ration, power and water. She hailed the Department of Health especially medics and paramedics for tirelessly attending to their duties and caring for the people. She complimented the Education Department and State’s administrative machinery to conduct various competitive examinations and to make it possible for the students to appear in such exams.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the present Government, based on its Agenda of Alliance, is working on a comprehensive developmental road map to ensure equitable development of all the three regions of the State. She added that various projects that were left in limbo were ensured to see the light of the day. She said that it is the State Government’s vision of developing Jammu as an independent tourist destination and bringing the State on the world map as the No 1 tourist destination. She said that the Government is committed to enhance the job avenues for the youth and increase employability.
She also appreciated the people of Kashmir for their cooperation in the smooth conduct of the Amarnathji Yatra showing the cultural essence of Kashmiriyat.
Mehbooba also congratulated the people of the area, on having fulfilled a long pending demand for the building of the degree college and added that it is expected to be completed by next year. She further said that the Government shall make all efforts to provide all facilities to the girl students for their empowerment.
In his address, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh said the PDP-BJP Government was determined to fulfill ‘Agenda of Alliance’ worked out between the two parties before formation of the Government.
Dr Singh said: “we have given most transparent Government in Jammu and Kashmir with zero tolerance towards corruption”.
The Deputy Chief Minister was of the view that it was because of the Narendra Modi headed Centre Government that Jammu and Kashmir has been given AIIMS, IITs, IIMs, Universities, several colleges and various other developmental projects.
Dr Nirmal Singh hailed the people of Jammu and Ladakh for maintaining peace and normalcy and hoped that peace would also return to the Kashmir valley soon.
In his address, Minister for Education, Naeem Akhtar congratulated the students for the new campus and said that the Government is working towards achieving the vision of late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of providing our students best facilities and quality education.
“The best investment we can make for our future is in the human resource development that holds key to our progress and prosperity”, he said, adding that we need to make our new generation ready to face the new era with confidence and right attitude.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Bali Bhagat, in his address, congratulated the people of the area for getting this new building which was a long pending demand. He said with major developmental initiatives underway the people of Raipur-Domana constituency will have an access to better amenities.
Bhagat said that various vital road projects have been sanctioned in the area and work on 100 bedded Sub-Hospital is being executed at an estimated cost of Rs. 23 crore that shall greatly augment the healthcare services. He maintained that the concerned departments have been directed to ensure time bound completion of projects and ensure their technical feasibility.
Addressing the gathering, MoS for Education, Priya Sethi said that Government is making concerted efforts to provide quality education to the children and in making them ready to face the challenges of competitive world. She also highlighted the various ambitious projects in education and tourism sector which are paving way for a new Jammu and Kashmir.
Member Parliament, Jugal Kishore Sharma in his address congratulated the students for this new institution and said that Government is working towards equitable development which has infused a new trust in the people that Government is committed for development.
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