Srinagar, May 11: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Saturday urged people to get rid of the twin political families to put an end to their decades-long “exploitation”.
“The time has come when you need to use your vote wisely and put an end to the protracted exploitation by twin political families, Abdullahs and Muftis. These families have been deceiving you for years and decades,” he said while addressing the party’s rallies held at Kangan and Hazratbal on the final day of Lok Sabha poll campaigning in Srinagar.
Taking a dig at the National Conference, Altaf Bukhari said, “One of these families fooled people with slogans like ‘Raishumari’ and ‘Autonomy,’ while simultaneously maintaining close ties with New Delhi and entering into agreements such as the Indra-Sheikh and Rajive-Farooq accords. These provocative slogans held no significance after J&K acceded to the country in 1947. Instead, they served as the cause of death and destruction in this region. These emotional slogans led our youth to prisons and graves.”
He went on to say, “NC’s leadership was hand in glove with leaders in Delhi long before independence in 1947. That is why they even changed the very name of the party, originally the Muslim Conference, to the National Conference in 1938. As a result, the NC leadership was given control in J&K after 1947, even without receiving a public mandate, as Delhi handed over the government to them.”
Criticizing the People’s Democratic Party, Bukhari said, “The other party befooled people with emotional sloganeering such as ‘Self-rule’ and so on. It kept people busy with emotional sloganeering and, in the meantime, established its family rule here. The late founder leader of this party used to say that he was against dynastic rule but did not forget to hand over the reins of the party to his daughter before passing away. Now, his daughter is grooming and preparing her own daughter to pass on the family’s political legacy to her. They are fooling people.”
Apni Party president reminded people of the killings of innocent people at the times when these parties were at the helm of affairs in J&K. He said, “Their hands are stained with the blood of innocent people, including children. One party was responsible for the deaths of more than 100 children in 2010, while the other killed about 200 children and blinded hundreds of boys and girls using pellet guns. How can people forget these deaths and bloodsheds?”
Bukhari appealed to the people to support and vote for the Apni Party in these Lok Sabha polls. “I request your support and vote for our candidate in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Mohammad Ashraf Mir. I assure you that he will represent your sentiments and raise your issues in Parliament. The Apni Party needs public support to implement its agenda. Our agenda is to ensure permanent peace, enduring prosperity, and equitable development across Jammu and Kashmir. I promise you that we will not disappoint you. We will ensure the well-being of the people and a dignified life for the youth.”
The party’s senior leader and former mayor of Srinagar, Junaid Azim Mattu addressed the public rally in Hazratbal. In his speech, Mattu emphasised the restoration and maintenance of the ‘centrality’ of the city, and said, “Srinagar’s historic city has been an epicentre of rich culture and civilisation for centuries. This city has always been politically vibrant, yet its historic centrality has been eroded by traditional parties over the years. However, I assure you that the Apni Party is committed to ensuring that this city’s centrality and status are restored and maintained.”
