Srinagar, Apr 21: President People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the party’s legacy continues to live on despite being declared ‘finished’ by leaders of National Conference, who left the party midway in the electoral battle.
Addressing the mega roadshow in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, she said, “How can they (NC) finish the party that opened roads across the Line of Control (LOC) and even initiated a new era of dialogue and reconciliation? If PDP were to be finished, you would not have seen such massive support for the party in every nook and corner at present. We have to rise above and unite, rise above partisan politics.”
She urged workers and activists of various political parties to support the PDP in the upcoming elections, urging them to rise above partisan politics and fight for the safeguarding of the region’s core identity and interests.
“The guns and stones will not resolve the issue but PDP will resist through vote and voice. NC betrayed the PDP as they failed to collaborate in the electoral battle. The importance of solidarity in facing the region’s adversities. It was a dire need for these polls to be fought together,” Mehbooba said, adding, “Unfortunately NC didn’t want that.”
Mufti said that even some senior leaders of NC declared that the PDP party is finished. We are on the ground; do people know that PDP was the only party which eradicated Ikhwan culture and repealed POTA in Kashmir? she said.
The former chief minister people in hordes are coming out to support the party. I am thankful to them for this, she said.
Mehbooba said these elections are important and serve as a crucial platform to resist the erosion of Jammu and Kashmir’s identity and interests. People should come out of their homes and support us, she urged.
Pointing to issues such as land appropriation, resource exploitation, and rampant unemployment, the PDP chief called on voters to recognize the broader significance of their participation beyond mere infrastructural promises.
“I appeal to workers of rival parties, including the NC and Congress, to recognize the gravity of the situation and unite in the common cause. This election is not merely about amenities but about safeguarding fundamental freedoms and rights. We will not succumb to external pressures that seek to plunder the region of its resources, lands, and jobs,” she said.
Mufti urged people not to skip voting. She promised to represent their views in Parliament, especially regarding the decision made on August 5, 2019.
