No Modi wave Just a media hype: Azad

Party which gives tears to its old hands, cannot handle the country: Omar

Srinagar: Senior Congress leader and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for the Udhampur parliamentary seat.

This is Azad’s maiden attempt in his political career to contest Lok Sabah elections from Jammu and Kashmir. Reports reaching KNS said Azad arrived at election office in Kathua in a procession. He was accompanied by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Pradesh Congress chief Saif-ud-din Soz and other Congress and National Conference leaders when he filed the papers.
Shouting slogans in his support, people were waving Congress party flags to greet Azad, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member, and the Union minister for health. However, KNS Kathua correspondent said that before Azad could file his nomination papers, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Arshad Malik filed his nomination before the Returning Officer and Azad had to wait for half an hour in a side room.  
Addressing his supporters, Azad has said that there is no Modi wave and the same is a creation of media hype. The union health minister has said that everything will come to its true colours only after the Congress will start its campaigning activities. He said that people are politically mature and know the nefarious designs of the communal and divisive forces in the country.  
On this occasion, the chief minister Omar Abdullah also addressed the people saying that the party which does not know how to respect its old hands cannot rule  the country. Referring to the BJP leader Jaswant Singh  who was denied mandate for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Rajesthan, Omar said that BJP has given tears to its veterans and does not know how to respect its senior leadership. Omar asked that how can the party which gives tears to its senior leadership be expected to run this country of values smoothly.  
PDP candidate Arshad Malik, who also addressed his supporters on the occasion, said that his party is contesting Parliamentary elections with an aim to change destiny of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.  He said that PDP has carved out a path of development and peace in Jammu and Kashmir so it is need of hour to strengthen his party for establishing lasting peace and accelerating developmental activities in the State.
Pertinently, the BJP candidate Dr Jitender Singh, Nation anal Panthers Party candidate Bhim Singh, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Party candidate Anu Gupta have already filed their nomination papers for Udhampur Lok Sabha seat.
Prem Nath as substitute candidate of BJP’s Jitender Singh, Shyam Lal (All J&K Kissan Mazdoor Party) and Ranjit Singh (Independent), Amrit Barsha of Samajwadi Party (SP), Dharma Paul Balgotra of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Madhu Bala Balgotra as Substitute Candidate of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had also filed nominations.
According to an election commission official, the scrutiny of nomination papers for Udhampur parliamentary seat will be held on March 27 while the date for withdrawal of nominations is March 29.(KNS)