NC remembers autonomy only during rainy days: PDP

Ruling PDP today accused opposition National Conference (NC) of remembering autonomy "only during rainy days", saying its leaders "suddenly start" talking about autonomy and friendship with Pakistan when out of power, while they "scream about bombing Pakistan" and "getting back occupied Kashmir" when in power.
"Not to go too far in the history, even between 2009 and 2014, when NC was in power as a constituent of UPA, the party never raised the issue of autonomy either with the Centre or in the state Assembly.
"They remember autonomy only during rainy days. When out of power, NC leaders suddenly start talking about autonomy and friendship with Pakistan while in power they scream about bombing Pakistan and getting PoK back," PDP General Secretary, Mohammad Sartaj Madni said here.

Madni was reacting to a resolution adopted at the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of NC in Jammu yesterday which said autonomy is imperative for "upholding the political dignity and rights of the people" of Jammu and Kashmir.
Madni said as NC is out of power today, the party leaders have again started raising "depleted slogans of autonomy to befool the people".
"This kind of deceitful politics of the NC has now become outdated and hard to sell with the emancipated people of Jammu and Kashmir. Had NC leaders been sincere and honest in their claims regarding autonomy, it would have been restored a long time back.

"History is witness that instead of working sincerely for restoration of autonomy, NC leaders have time and again traded J-K's political and economic interests for power," he said.

The PDP General Secretary said right from Indira Gandhi-Sheikh Abdullah accord of 1975 through Rajiv Gandhi-Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah-Rahul Gandhi pacts, NC has "bartered not only the state's political and economic interests, but its natural and water resources as well for power".
"While NC has used 'Azadi', 'Raishumari' (plebiscite), 'Rawalpindi Road' and 'Autonomy' in the past with good political dividends for itself, these slogans have no buyers now in the changed circumstances in J-K," Madni said, adding that in 1996, Farooq had got a golden opportunity to bargain for certain political and economic measures for J-K, which "unfortunately he wasted".

Madni said on the other hand, PDP has been able to inspire confidence among a majority of the people in all the regions of the state about its ability to solve the multiple problems faced by Jammu and Kashmir on political, economic, administrative and financial fronts.
"Whether in or out of power, PDP has been working on its agenda of political resolution, good governance and employment generation to convert Jammu and Kashmir into a real welfare state," he said.