Farooq asks people to ‘teach BJP a lesson’ through vote

Srinagar, May 13: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the Bharatiya’s Janata Party’s decade of rule saw the “institutionalisation of hate and prejudice” against minorities, particularly Muslims.
He said this while addressing an election rally at Chowkibal in Karnah constituency of Kupwara district, according to a party statement issued here. Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, senior leaders Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy, Mir Saifullah, Qaiser Jamshed Lone, Deen Muhammad Cheetah and DDC members were also present on this occasion.
Dr Farooq said, “PM Modi has forgotten he is the prime minister of the entire country, and not of a particular community. What came as a surprise is that he has given up all pretences and is openly spewing poison against Muslims in his rallies. They won the election of 2014 on the issues which directly concern people. However, they failed to deliver on them. Today, when people are seeking answers from them on the issues of unemployment, development and corruption, they turn a blind face and resort to flaring communal tensions to gloss over their decade of misrule. People have made it a point to punish them through vote.”
Lamenting the alleged harassment of NC workers, the former chief minister said, “Police are calling elders and youth and then labelling them as Hurriyat. In reality, they are trying to create fear among you. We do not have to fear them as tomorrow their pride will go away. I want to tell LG to stop harassing people.”
He asked people to teach the BJP a lesson for treating them “miserably” by “snatching” their land and employment rights, and said, “The reason they (BJP) haven’t fielded candidates here makes it clear that they fear drubbing in the ensuing elections. Now they are hiding behind their minions. BJP and its local A, B & C teams are now resorting to dividing our voice, but people won’t get deterred by the diversionary tactics aiming at dividing people on the basis of region, religion and language. People will speak in one voice and defeat the BJP.”