Udhampur: Expressing confidence of massive mandate on its own for NAtional Conference, its President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday announced to contest the next assembly election alone.
“We won’t have alliance with any party,” Farooq, the former three-time Chief Minister said while addressing party workers here. A stable, strong and people friendly government was the answer to problems facing Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
“Immediately after forming government, National Conference will bring legislation in the first assembly session with regard to regional autonomy,” he said, adding, “This will empower every segment of society and every region and sub-region politically and economically”.
He asked the party cadre to gear up for the big challenge and work for further strengthening the National Conference at every level.
Farooq, the parliamentarian lambasted the BJP for dividing the nation on religion and said this dispensation has negated the vision of freedom fighters who gave sacrifices to free India from the shackles of British. “At that point of time, the freedom stalwarts did not think in terms of Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs but their paramount mission was to seek freedom for India, the abode of all faiths”, he said, adding that the divisive forces have trampled the spirit of freedom. He, however, exuded confidence that this gloomy era will be over soon and the day will come when the India of Mahatma Gandhi will be retrieved again.
Coming down heavily on the RSS, Farooq said during the freedom struggle of India its top brass praised the British and now its ranks were honouring the killer of Father of Nation. During 1975 emergency, he said the RSS supported Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, according to a book penned by Rajeshwar Rao, and said that the support was in lieu of forced family planning of Muslims during those horrendous days.
Farooq also questioned the neutrality of the BJP led NDA Government over the US acknowledgement of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. “Like United Kingdom, France and other countries, New Delhi should have taken a position over the disputed status of Jerusalem”, he said and assailed the US President Donald Trump for his illogical decision.
Farooq also referred to the circumstances leading to safe passage of terrorists at Kandhar during the tenure of Atal Behari Vajpayee as Prime Minister and said the situation has now taken such a turn that India’s pleas in the United Nations over declaration of Maulana Azhar as a global terrorist is being vetoed by China.
“The BJP must have some sort of introspection and must remember the nation wants sacrifices”, he said and accused the party of sowing seeds of hate and intolerance in the country. He cautioned the people against the BJP’s machinations and said National Conference will have to play its designated role in strengthening bonds of amity and brotherhood between various segments of society and the three regions of the state.
