SRINAGAR, Apr 4: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti Friday lashed out at the ruling National Conference, saying it was focusing on who between them and the Lieutenant Governor is empowered to transfer officials rather than taking a stand on issues that really matter.
Mufti accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah-led government of “surrendering” before New Delhi”.
“People thought when the new government comes, it would protect their rights. Unfortunately, it has been six months, but it has not talked about the plight of the youth in jails, the termination of our employees, or the issues of daily wagers, unemployment etc. The government has shown cowardice in everything,” Mufti told reporters here.
Referring to Abdullah’s remarks that the Union Territory government does not want to have a confrontation with the Central government, the PDP president said the NC dispensation is “afraid” to even talk about the issues people voted it to power on.
“When they came (to power), they said they do not want a confrontation with the Central government. Nobody wants a confrontation with Delhi. But, you have already surrendered. You are afraid to even talk about the issues for which people voted for you,” she added.
She said when the employees from department headed by the CM were terminated, Abdullah did not say anything.
“But, today, for the transfer of patwaris (revenue officials), the MLAs of a party and its allies got together,” she said, in a reference to the meeting of the legislators of NC and its allies in the backdrop of the recent transfers ordered by LG Manoj Sinha.
“Did the people of Jammu and Kashmir vote this party for these issues? Is the issue of transfer of Patwaris a big issue? Or the issue is that our youth are rotting in jails? Or that there are raids every day? Or that Jamia Masjid is closed despite the improvement in the situation? “We do not talk about the real problems, but about who will transfer Patwaris? Who will transfer village level workers? I think this is very bad,” she said.Mufti said the J-K government itself is “responsible for this because as soon as the government was formed, they surrendered saying they do not want any confrontation with Delhi”.
“Who is telling them to fight?” she asked.
Mufti said the NC does not want to talk about or take a stand on the issues that matter.
“Leave aside Article 370, they do not want to take its name, but they do not talk about other problems faced by people either. They raise the issue of why the LG transferred the Patwaris, and why can’t we do it? “I think this is not a good thing for a government that has received such a huge mandate, or to call such a big meeting on such small issues’. I think this is a joke with the mandate that people have given him,” she said.
