Aim to strengthen Congress in J&K: Syed Naseer

Jammu, Nov 19: AICC general secretary in-charge J&K affairs and the Member Parliament (MP) Dr Syed Naseer Hussain Wednesday stated that all out efforts would be taken to strengthen Congress in J&K so that it could contest elections on its own.

Responding to media queries and addressing the gathering in a party function organised to pay tributes to the first woman Prime Minister of the country, Indira Gandhi, on her 108th birth anniversary here, he praised the JKPCC leadership and senior leaders for carrying out programmes and policies aimed at bolstering the party.

The function also witnessed the rejoining of senior leaders including the former ministers Jugal Kishore Sharma and Abdul Majid Wani.

Welcoming Jugal, Wani, ex MLC Subhash Gupta and others into the party, AICC general secretary said that their return would strengthen the Congress in their respective areas and in the Union Territory.

He exhorted the J&K party leadership to further aggressively reach out to the people, asserting that the solution to their (people’s) problems was in the strengthening of Congress party which had pro-people policies and programmes.

Syed Naseer asserted that statehood was the right of the people of J&K. “The people have a right to their land, jobs and resources, which is available to the people in different states of the country under the Constitution of India. It is unfortunate that the people of J&K have been stripped of their statehood and other genuine democratic rights by BJP,” he rued.

Paying rich tributes to the former Prime Minister, he said that great leaders like Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi led the nation with great dynamism, vision and boldness. Praising Indira Gandhi for her contributions and leadership qualities, he said that she was known as “Iron lady” in the world for her qualities of leadership, dynamism and boldness.

Responding to questions about the Congress defeat in Bihar elections, he stated that the party would introspect its performance.

He, however, hit out at BJP for, what he alleged, “its divisive policies”, alleged, “Earlier BJP used to win by vote-chori methods like in Maharashtra, Haryana and elsewhere. Now it is using the Election Commission to win elections like Bihar, by launching a new cash for vote scheme during elections.” “First time in the history of India, such a method was used by the government to launch the scheme in the midst of elections and the Election Commission remained silent,” he alleged.

Addressing the gathering, J&K PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra, while drawing comparison with the present leadership, recalled the dynamic and bold leadership of Indira Gandhi who refused to bow to the dictates of then US President ii 1971.

He welcomed the new entrants into the party and said that party would benefit enormously with their joining. “Our doors are open to ideological supporters to fight ideological battles against BJP and to secure the genuine rights of people of J&K,” Karra said. He said that Jammu and Kashmir was the ideological battlefield for both Congress and BJP in the country, adding that BJP was using J&K issues for their politics in the rest of the country.

“It was in the backdrop of this ideological battle that BJP abrogated article 370 and 35 A,” he said, while referring to various programmes launched by the party in one year to highlight the issues of the people of J&K especially restoration of statehood.

AICC general secretary and CLP leader G A Mir paid rich tributes to Indira Gandhi and said that every Indian was proud of her contributions and bold leadership. She strengthened the unity and integrity of the nation till her last breath and took revolutionary steps in every field.

Mir praised the Congress cadres of Jammu and Kashmir as the most ideologically committed in the country and for selflessly and boldly facing all challenges of the situation, including terrorism, deprivation of statehood status and other democratic rights.

He said that the return of senior leaders into the Congress established that only Congress was a secular, progressive alternative available to the right-thinking people in the UT and the whole country to safeguard democratic rights of the people.

Former minister Mula Ram, JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, former minister Yogesh Sawhney, ex-MP T S Bajwa, ex-minister Jagjeevan Lal and Yash Pal Kundal too were present.