Srinagar, Jun 21: Apni Party Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir on Saturday urged the Centre to engage with the people of Jammu and Kashmir to build mutual confidence and trust.
“Only the ruling BJP at the Centre has the power and authority to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that the regional parties, which claimed during the assembly elections that they would restore statehood, were “simply lying and misleading” the people.
Mir made these remarks while speaking to the media on the sidelines of the party’s district workers’ convention in Kupwara, where an impressive gathering was organised to rejuvenate party workers, the party said in a statement issued here.
Mir said the Apni Party is committed to standing with the people for the protection of their rights and to guiding them on the path to peace, prosperity, and development.
“We will never join hands with the enemies of the people,” he said. “Unfortunately, the traditional parties have consistently misled the people with fake promises and emotional slogans. Unlike these parties, Apni Party believes in the politics of truthfulness. That is why we have never promised the moon and the stars. We say only what we believe is achievable. We never mislead our people for political gain.”
Replying to a question from the media, the former minister said, “The party which is now ruling in J&K had told people that after forming the government, they would restore the abrogated Article 370. They also claimed that they would restore statehood. Have they achieved these goals? These matters are not within their authority or control.”
He went on to say, “They even failed to fulfil those promises that were within their control and authority. For instance, in their election campaign, they had promised to provide 200 units of free electricity to consumers. However, they ended up offering it only to households under the AAY category, a small minority. Moreover, they included their own workers in the AAY category before granting 200 units of free electricity to that group.”
Mir said that the Apni Party had not spoken against the government so far. “Because we wanted to give it some time to fulfil its promises. But now, nine months down the line, we see that this government has failed completely.”
Addressing the gathering, Apni Party Chief Spokesperson Muntazir Mohiuddin said that post-August 2019, Apni Party leaders played a crucial role. “Today, except for five per cent of industrial land, outsiders cannot acquire even an inch of land here. This is Apni Party’s unparalleled contribution post-August 2019,” he said.
In his address, the party’s Youth Wing president, Yawar Mir accused the government of failing to deliver on the governance front.
