PDP youth wing meets president first time since Aug 5
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 3: People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) president and former Chief Minister of erstwhile J&K State Mehbooba Mufti today said that the policies of the Centre have been anti-people and anti-J&K.
She said that the party is ready to take on any challenge thrown at it during the fight for getting the rights of people back.
She made these comments after she met with the members of the party’s youth wing who had been called in to deliberate on various issues being faced by the people of J&K after August 5 last year.
“We have fought against Task Force, we have fought against the surrendered militants (Ikhwanis), we have fought against POTA, and today our fight is for the restoration of the identity of J&K including the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir issue. In this our youth will be with us,” she told media persons on the sidelines of the meeting.
She said that the selected youth associated with the party were called in for the meeting to get to know about the issues that people are facing. “We talked about the situation that has arisen in J&K and I wanted to listen to them. I wanted to know about political as well as economic issues,” she said.
She said that the policies of the centre have been anti-people, anti-J&K. “Be it the reduction in the retirement age or other laws, we talked about it all,” she said.
It was the first meeting with youth cadre after abrogation of Article 370 and 35A and bifurcating and downgrading the state to UT.
“We reject the undemocratic treatment imposed on us by the ruling regime, which has deprived us of our rights and human dignity, which underpin the constitution. We demand an immediate end to the ruling regime’s denial of the political problem. Our people have endured a brutal clampdown and the world’s longest internet slowdown. Many of our youngsters continue to be unjustifiably held in jails, despite huge risks to their lives from the Covid-19 pandemic.” she told the meeting, adding “our voices have been ignored, our institutions erased and we cannot afford to remain silent any longer. We need to speak now to restore our dignity and take charge of our own destinies”.
“Too many of our mothers and sisters have been rendered widows. Too many of our children have been lost. Too many of our students are staring ahead at bleak futures. There’s unending insecurity among the young people with the fresh fears of demographic change, assaults on jobs, land rights, culture & language”, she added.
In these tough times we need to sustain hope and salute the remarkable resilience of our people. “Jammu and Kashmir has seen many lockdowns and crises. And each time we have shown that we can survive and stand with one another. We have demonstrated to the world a unique capacity to mobilize support, care and humanitarian aid among our own communities. In the most difficult times, we have shown compassion for those who are less fortunate, generosity towards outsiders. This is the secret code to our survival as one people. No power in the world can take that away from us”, she added.
The youth leaders during the meeting put forth their views and suggestions. “There is no future until and unless we strengthen our leadership. We will fight for rights to address our people’s aspirations and keep up to the youth expectations.” said a youth leader in the meeting.
While speaking on the occasion, the leaders while upholding their unity asked the party president to move forward with the issues and the youth will follow. “Our leader Mehbooba Mufti is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,” said a youth leader while speaking on ‘future prospectus’ of taking back the rights. We all stand behind our leader with firm belief and faith”, another youth leader said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
