SRINAGAR: Peoples’ Democratic Party MLA Waheed Para has said his party legislators will vote for the ruling National Conference candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections on Friday for the “larger interest” of Jammu and Kashmir.Speaking to reporters inside the Assembly complex, where voting for four Rajya Sabha seats is underway, Para said the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has also decided to support the National Conference (NC) after the ruling party committed to support its two Bills on land regularisation and regularisation of daily wagers.
“We have brought two Bills, which we hope will be tabled in the House. We have decided support the NC on these two commitments, and for the larger interest of Jammu and Kashmir, as we feel it is better to back the NC which is fighting the BJP in these polls,” Para said.
It is the decision of party president Mehbooba Mufti to vote for the NC “because they have promised that they will support the Land Bill and the Daily Wagers Bill brought by the PDP”, the MLA from Pulwama said.
“Keeping this in mind, we have decided that PDP’s votes will go to the NC,” Para added.
Asked about his proposed resolution to restore the J&K Waqf Board and hand over its custodianship to the Muttahid-e-Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) an amalgam of various religious bodies being dropped in the Assembly ballot, Para said he wanted the custodianship of mosques and shrines in J&K be given to Muslim leaders under the leadership of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads the MMU.
Para also demanded that AAP MLA Mehraj Malik, who was arrested last month under the Public Safety Act for allegedly disturbing public order in Doda district, be released.
“It was an illegal arrest. We are against it,” he said.
