‘Only NC can save JK’s special status’
Srinagar: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to portray himself as if Hindu deity Hanuman has come himself by pressing the button for the launch of A-SAT missile.
“All the credit is due to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the successful launch of A-SAT missile. It was Manmohan ji who successfully launched the anti-Satellite Missile but he never took credit for it. When elections are around, he (Modi) pressed the button to show as if Hanuman ji has come himself,” Abdullah said while addressing a NC convention at the party headquarter in Nawa-e-Subh in Srinagar.
He said a similar button was pressed, which killed six air force personnel and a civilian, in an apparent reference to the Mi-17 chopper crash that took place in Budgam last month.
Abdullah also lashed at the PM for failing to create jobs for the people. “PM Modi had promised that he will give two crore jobs to the youth in a year, which makes 10 crore in five years. Where are those jobs? PM had also promised to reduce the price of petrol, diesel and, LPG but nothing happened,” Abdullah said.
The veteran NC leader said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which once had the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya as its main issue, has forgotten about it after the air strike carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Pakistan. “Many Indian soldiers were killed in Chhattisgarh but Modi ji never went to meet their families. And when 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives he raised a storm over it,” he said.
Abdullah said need of the houris to thwart efforts to destroy special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in constitution of India. Reports said Abdullah was addressing a gathering of party functionaries, block presidents and a segment in charges of Srinagar.
“The leadership of the country who liberated the nation from colonial clutches bequeathed us with a secular and progressive constitution. They idealized an idea of India that was deemed to be for all, where everyone lives with dignity; where caste and religion would not have fettered anyone’s socio-economic advancement,” he said.
“However there are forces as are disposed to tarnish the very secular visage of India. The agenda of BJP-RSS is all exclusive; they have all along shown consternation for the secular and progressive ideals of the Constitution of India,” he added. Party President while underscoring the significance of the constitutional safeguards including Art-370, Art 35-A.
“However no sooner we returned to power, the unrelenting erosion of our special status ceased to end. However, our absence from the power corridors of our state gave all the forces as is inimical to the state’s unique character and integrity a field day to fiddle with our status.
“The countless miseries that were inflicted on Kashmiris in PDP-BJP government will take years to heal. Now Mehbooba Mufti is again up to the same gimmickry, she masters; this time we should not fall prey to her theatrics,” he said.
