‘BJP, Cong not bothered about Jammu’s grievances’
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 4: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti today questioned the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government’s stoic silence on the glaring incidents of corruption and bad governance in Jammu and Kashmir and said that alienation among the people would increase if the misdeeds of the National Conference-led Government were further ignored.
In an exclusive interview to EXCELSIOR, Ms Mufti said, “be it National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh or any other corruption related scandal in any part of the country, the UPA Government is very prompt to get enquiries conducted but when it comes to corrupt practices and bad governance of National Conference-led Government in Jammu and Kashmir it becomes a mute spectator”.
“Prime Minister is totally silent…why it is so”? she asked, adding “it seems that nobody in the Central Government is bothered about looking into the glaring incidents of corruption in this State”. “Why UPA Government is so much insensitive towards rising corruption in Jammu and Kashmir only because the party which is heading the Central Government is in alliance with the National Conference here”? she further asked.
“Being in alliance with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress-led UPA Government has the added responsibility to check corrupt practices in the State. But it is unfortunate that Centre is doing nothing to check corruption and malpractices here”, Ms Mufti regretted, adding “even the misuse of the funds under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes is getting un-noticed and all this is leading to alienation among the people, who have started cursing not only the State but also the Central Government”.
“The allegations of cash for MLC seats or ministerial berths and Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association scam involving the president of the ruling National Conference were the fit cases for the Central Government’s intervention but unfortunately the same were not given due attention only because Dr Farooq Abdullah is the Minister in UPA-led Government”, she said, adding “in the JKCA scam some persons were made scapegoats but Farooq Abdullah who gave authority to open accounts has been allowed to go scot free”.
“What to talk of other issues, even the deaths of hundreds of children in the G B Pant Hospital have not been taken seriously and Union Government doesn’t find it necessary to enquire into these unfortunate incidents”, she further regretted.
Pointing towards the statement of Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad regarding State Government’s failure to establish Nursing Colleges, the PDP president said, “the NC-led Government seems to be looking for their favorite contractors so that they can mint money out of these projects also”.
Accusing the Omar Abdullah-led Government of surpassing all the records of bad governance, Ms Mufti said, “having tasted the good governance during Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s short tenure, the people were of the view that young Chief Minister would start a new era of development but I am sorry to say that the present regime has failed to provide even basic amenities like power, water and sanitation to people”, adding “at a time when people in other States of the country are demanding metros, the people in Jammu and Kashmir are still crying for better electricity and water supply”.
“What to talk of villages and towns, even the capital cities, which are the face of State for lakhs of pilgrims and tourists, are in miserable condition”, she said.
Terming National Conference and corruption as two sides of the same coin, the PDP president asked, “how can a person, who gets a car worth one crore rupees soon after becoming Chief Minister, prevent his ministers from indulging in corrupt practices”, adding “the seriousness of Chief Minister to check corruption and malpractices can be gauged from the fact that instead of strengthening the State Accountability Commission, which was set-up by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, he rendered it defunct by allowing his ministers and advisors to challenge the SAC’s jurisdiction in the High Court”.
“Same approach is being adopted toward the Vigilance Commission by recommending the name of that person who played key role in covering up misdeeds of the Omar-led Government”, she said, adding “instead of expanding the ambit of selection, Omar Government has given an impression that post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner is only meant for Kuldeep Khoda. In this way he has demoralized the men of integrity”.
In response to a question whether she would prefer consensus after convening another meeting on the issue, Ms Mufti, who has already put dissenting note on the recommendation of the Government for CVC’s post, said “now the ball is in the court of Governor”.
About the democratic institutions like Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies, Mehbooba said, “notwithstanding the tall claims of the present regime, Panchs and Sarpanchs are disillusioned because even after the lapse of nearly one year they have not been empowered”, adding “the Government has only created huge army of public representatives but is not serious to utilize their services for the development of the State and redressing the grievances of the people”.
“Given the approach towards other two tiers of the Panchayati Raj system, I don’t think that this Government has any plan to set up Block Development Councils and District Development and Planning Boards”, she said, adding “the entire focus of the Government is now on using Panchs and Sarpanchs to get some persons elected as MLCs”.
“Opposition, which is vital part of the democratic system, was never allowed to grow in the State by the successive NC-led regimes. This was done just to cover up misdeeds of ruling party. They (NC leadership) is happy with out of mainstream opposition but not with mainstream opposition. But PDP with the active support of people and visionary approach of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has emerged as an effective mainstream opposition”, she said.
Claiming that people of the State were fed-up with mis-governance of the Omar-led Government, Mehbooba said, “everybody knows that within a short span, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed brought radical changes on governance, accountability and developmental fronts”, adding “during 2002 elections, we campaigned for restoration of peace and delivered up to the expectations of the people on this front. We also campaigned for bringing the State back on the track of development and accordingly translated the same into reality within short span of three years”.
“Now, we have unemployment, corruption and price rise issues and if people support we will create such a system where there will be no space for corruption and justice will rule the roost”, she said while claiming that people in every nook and corner of the State including Jammu region have started looking at PDP as an alternative to present corrupt and ineffective regime.
She said, “while NC leadership is busy in spending on lavish life styles, the BJP and Congress too are not associating themselves with the grievances of people even in Jammu region”, adding “people are aware that when the elections approach NC will start raising the autonomy or other misleading slogans, BJP will start playing Jammu card and Congress will raise the issue of providing Chief Minister from Jammu region”.
“People are wise enough and will certainly teach a lesson to those who always try to fool them for the lust of power”, she said.
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