NC-Congress govt will protect land rights in J&K: MP Mian Altaf

Rajouri, Sept 14: Senior National Conference leader and Member of Parliament, Mian Altaf Ahmed on Saturday exuded confidence that the NC-Congress will form the next government in Jammu & Kashmir and assured that they will protect land rights.
Addressing largely attended election rallies in favour of NC candidate Javed Iqbal Choudhary at Khawas and Peeri in Budhal constituency, Mian Altaf said, “Over the last ten years, the BJP regime has tried to render lakhs of people in Jammu & Kashmir landless. Soon after the National Conference comes to power, the new government shall regularise the land rights wherever people have been affected.”
He said the last six years saw the BJP regime’s “assault” on the land rights of people in both rural and urban areas. “This has created uncertainty over dwelling which is the most basic human right,” he said.
The MP said the people of Jammu & Kashmir can never forget New Delhi’s unilateral decisions of abrogating Article 370, 35A and downgrading a historic State to a Union Territory.
“In the ongoing elections people are all set to convey to the BJP through the power of their vote that downgrading a State to the Union Territory is a blot on the Indian federal constitutional system,” he said.
Mian Altaf alleged that the BJP government spent crores of rupees on false advertisements about their achievements like the Forest Rights Act but claimed that nothing was delivered on the ground. “These elections are the first major opportunity before people to have their own elected government restored and then there a long struggle for the restoration of our collective rights the BJP snatched,” he said.
The former minister termed the NC candidate for Budhal constituency, Javed Iqbal Choudhary as a “true grassroots leader who has risen from the level of Sarpanch to stand for the assembly”.
“Javed has been instrumental in social and political and political transformation in Budhal constituency by way of hard work and dedication,” he said, asking the people to reciprocate the goodwill by voting for him in large numbers.
Addressing the public meetings, Choudhary said, “Since the passing away of my father for want of medical access and road connectivity, I decided that no one’s father should die like that. I made this commitment to myself while laying my father in the grave that I will dedicate my life to the public, to bring them out from the politics of exploitation and bring to their doorsteps the facilities they deserve.”
Hitting out at his BJP rival, he said, “Choudhary Zulfkar has been an MLA twice and a powerful cabinet minister once, but changes parties frequently. This is the fifth party he has shifted to in the last 25 years. When people rejected him back-to-back thrice in Panchayat elections, BDC elections and DDC elections, Zulfkar quit the artificial Apni Party and ran to BJP for last refuge.”
“I’m sure Zulfkar will face double punishment in these elections -for his bad performance as MLA and for being with the BJP,” Choudhary added.