Srinagar: Opposition National Conference on Thursday criticised ruling PDP-BJP government for their “surrender” on the demand seeking the return of power projects to the State and asked Chief Minister to clear the air in unambiguous terms.
In a statement issued here, a party spokesman said the silence of the Chief Minister in view of Indian Minister R. K. Singh’s remarks speaks volumes about her “hypocrisy and sell-out to remain glued to power.”
The spokesman said that Singh had made it unambiguously clear that the demand for the return of the power projects made in the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ was yet another lie that was propounded at that time to justify PDP’s “Freudian bargain with the BJP to form a Government in the State for purely self-seeking intentions.”
“This is yet another instance where the Central Government has, without any pretence, absolved itself of any promises that were made in the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ between the PDP and BJP. What makes this even more tragic is the silence of PDP and especially the Chief Minister,” NC State spokesperson said in the statement.
“It was none other than PDP Vice President Muzaffar Baigh who questioned the very existence of the ‘Agenda of the Alliance’ and such brazen abandonment of the document and the promises it enshrined by no less a figure of authoring than a Union Minister clearly exposed PDP and proves beyond any doubt that the party had no ideological or public-interest-driven agenda to cobble up an alliance with the BJP – something that was done for the singular purpose of first making Mufti Sahab and then Mehbooba Mufti the Chief Minister,” he said.
The spokesman said the party demands an immediate and clear answer from the Chief Minister where she should either accept that she has befooled the people of the State or a rebuttal to the Union Minister for his remarks. “Mehbooba Ji should understand that she can’t have the cake and eat it too. She can’t sell out the interests of the State to remain glued to power while donning the persona of a rebel. These are glaring contradictions – contradictions which have wreaked havoc with the State and fuelled an unprecedented level of alienation and disenchantment. You made these promises to the youth of the State, even fought elections on these planks and now when your alliance partner-led Government in New Delhi has categorically abandoned all these promises, PDP has left the youth disillusioned not only with itself but also the system of governance as a whole”, he said.