‘PDP has abandoned “Self Rule” slogan for political convenience’
Srinagar: Criticizing PDP and its leadership for changing stands with the changing direction of the wind, National Conference has said that PDP had conspicuously abandoned its “self rule” slogan for political convenience after noticing a change in the current political atmosphere in New Delhi. National Conference has said that PDP was never, and can never be a votary of the resolution of the Kashmir Issue as the party has always wavered to take a substantial ideological stand for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Terming PDP’s blatant abandonment of its “self rule” agenda a result of the party’s ideology-less politics, National Conference Spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu has said that PDP which once termed “self rule” as the soul of PDP is now completely disinclined to pursue the “self rule” agenda of the party and is rather focusing on pure, ruthless, self-seeking power. “So should the people infer that PDP has sold its soul for a shot at power or have they murdered their own soul for political expediency?”, Mattu asked.
Mattu said that most notably Mehbooba Mufti has changed her own stand on the Kashmir Issue and has gone from calling “self rule” a solution to the Kashmir Issue to now treating it with noticeable contempt as a mere emotional slogan that has outrun its utility. “One fails to understand how PDP can make such a brazen turnaround on a political issue that concerns the sentiments and aspirations of hundreds and thousands of common men and women, especially when the party’s main plank used to be the resolution of the political issue in all earlier elections. This is a very significant development and the people should weigh it with utmost seriousness and concern”, the NC Spokesman said.
The NC Spokesman said that unlike PDP, National Conference continues to back its demand for the restoration of Internal Autonomy without any compromises on the political ideology and agenda of the party. Junaid Mattu said that National Conference has been striving for the restoration of Article 370 right from 1953. “The State’s Internal Autonomy was eroded from 1953 to 1975 and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was directly involved in the erosion of the State’s special status. National Conference has shed its blood for the special status of J&K and won’t ever compromise on its ideology. We have strived and rendered sacrifices for restoration of Autonomy and will continue to do so. We are not PDP. Our politics is based on principles”, Mattu said.
Stating that National Conference Government introduced and passed the Autonomy Resolution in the State Assembly in 2000, NC Spokesman Junaid Mattu said that there could be no greater validation of NC’s commitment to restore Autonomy and strive for a just and effective resolution of the Kashmir Issue. “We believe the Internal Autonomy document is the best possible solution to the political issue and have also said that other models can be considered as long as the people of the State get a sense of relief and justice. We don’t believe in raising half-baked emotional slogans only to abandon them later with such contempt as has been shown by PDP towards their self-rule agenda”, the NC Spokesman added.