Excelsior Correspondent
CHENANI, Dec 30: National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana today slammed the BJP for opposing regional autonomy to different regions of Jammu and Kashmir, asking as to what they had to offer to empower people and satiating their aspirations.
“BJP is suffering from a peculiar mind block, which does not allow it to see beyond myopic political agenda that is fraught with danger of dividing the society and dismantling the unity”, Rana said while addressing workers at distant Latti in Chenani Assembly Constituency of the Udhampur district.
He described the BJP as a polarizing agent in the political spectrum across the country and said the people of Jammu and Kashmir would not allow it to play with the time tested amity and singular entity of the State. He said the three and half years of BJP partnered government, instead of steering the stare to development and peace, pushed it backwards.
The insensitive dispensation stands testimony to failures and generating passions on regional and religious lines, he said and decried the BJPs divisive politics, adding the party is doing most disservice to the religion by invoking Gotra politics. “This is detrimental to the unity of the country as also the state”, he said, adding that governance deficit, growing unemployment and developmental inertia has left even the core workers of the BJP disillusioned.
On the contrary, he said National Conference has a cherished record of public service which is discernible by the development undertaken between 2009 and 2014 under the leadership of Omar Abdullah and earlier during the tenure of Dr Farooq Abdullah as Chief Minister when two lakh jobs were provided between 1996 and 2002.
Referring to cherished agenda of NC’s regional autonomy, he said it was a realistic and pragmatic approach to empower the people at grass roots level and fulfilling their distinct urges within the overall superintendence of the State government.
The Provincial President said the concept of regional autonomy is aimed at enabling larger public participation in the decision making at local levels. Such an arrangement would help in fixing priorities in respect of developmental schemes as per local needs and strengthening planning process at micro level in true democratic spirit. He said the representative councils at regional levels would also generate a sense of involvement among the people, who are the real fountain of power in a democratic set up.
He also referred to the overt and covert attempts being made to dilute or repeal Article 35A, which he described as endorsement of visionary legislation of Maharaja Hari Singh and a commitment of the Constitution of India to Jammu and Kashmir. He said National Conference will foil all these machinations with full might to protect the identity and interests of the people of the State.
Referring to local issues, Rana assured that if voted to power, the National Conference Government will take all initiatives to develop Sudhmahadev and Mantalai as premier tourist spots, which will be a game changer for the rural economy.
State Secretary Rattan Lal Gupta, former MP and senior leader, Sheikh Abdul Rehman and senior leader Th Kashmira Singh also spoke on the occasion.
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