NC to rollback all anti-people steps of J&K administration if voted to power: Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar, Feb 23 (PTI) National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said his party will rollback all the “anti-people” steps taken by the Jammu and Kashmir administration, including the proposed property tax, if it is voted to power.

He made these remarks while chairing a provincial committee meeting at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha, here.

NC vice president Omar Abdullah was present on the occasion.

“The down sliding of democracy has hurt every sector of Jammu and Kashmir without any exception. The litmus test for a democracy is if the policy decisions are made through democratic procedure and have popular support. Unfortunately, the current administration’s decisions sans both!” Farooq Abdullah said.

Terming the recent administration’s actions as “anti-people and a grave injustice”, he said such decisions must be left to a democratically elected government in J-K.

“It all started with disempowering, disenfranchising our people, now they are dispossessing them. We won’t allow this. If NC comes to power, all these anti-people policies have to go lock, stock and barrel,” he said.

The former chief minister said his party cannot act as mute spectators to the “injustices committed by this government”.

“People will punish them through elections as and when they are held. They cannot run away from it for long, one or the other day they have to face the people’s raging anger,” he added.

During the meeting, party functionaries highlighted the contemporary public and party issues, including inflation, unemployment, rampant demolition drive, and imposition of the property tax, a party release said.

Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari too said Jammu and Kashmir’s sensitive matters and important public issues should be left for an elected government.

“I wonder why the administration is hell-bent to settle everything at once. Important public issues and sensitive matters should be left for the government that will come up with a public mandate in the forthcoming elections here,” Bukhari told reporters here.

Bukhari, who welcomed NC’s former provincial secretary Sheikh Mohammad Shafi into the party fold at a function in Jammu, expressed his worry about the latest order of imposing property tax in J-K.

“It is sad to see difficult orders are successively being passed. Such directives should come up only after proper deliberations and discussion, and while keeping the public sentiments in view. I would suggest that such decisions should be kept for an elected govt to take”, he said.

Bukhari expressed his gratitude to the Union home minister and the Lieutenant Governor for ensuring that the demolition drive in the name of land retrieval in J-K is stopped.

On leaders joining his party, Bukhari said, “I am sure that your joining will strengthen the party in the region. I assure you that you will get full support from the party leadership when you will be out there to work for the people in your respective areas.”

“Apni party is trying to play a role of a bridge to keep the people of two regions connected,” he said.