Youth to play decisive role to take J&K out of morass of hopelessness: Mehbooba

Jammu, Jan 18: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said that the youth had a decisive role to take J&K out of the morass of disappointment and hopelessness that had been created by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre through its wrong policies.

Addressing a gathering of youth from R S Pura at the PDP headquarters here, She expressed gratitude to the party workers from across Jammu for standing with the people of Kashmir at a time when people had been pushed to the wall and their rights curtailed in the name of security.

Mufti said that the incumbent government had turned the entire J&K into a laboratory.

“Our youth have been pushed into hopelessness. They have connived with big corporate houses and industrialists to exploit and loot the resources of Jammu and Kashmir. Big corporate houses coming to J&K are hiring people from outside while our unemployed youth are moving from pillar to post for livelihood,” she said. “These are the times of the youth, for the youth. The mantle of responsibility has befallen the youth of J&K to shape a brighter future and secure our rights for the coming generations. We will have to unite to fight against the forces bent upon ruining our future.”

The former chief minister said that former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had envisioned mega rail projects, setting up of new industrial units, construction of better roads and hospitals for the welfare of the people but the present dispensation had no such plans as they were dividing the people on communal lines for petty interests. She also hit out at the administration for targeting poor people.

“Their leaders have encroached upon a huge chunk of land and they have built palatial bungalows over state land but they will not take any action against them. Contrary to this, poor people who have constructed small houses with their hard-earned money are being driven away. It exposes their duplicity and policy of deceit,” Mufti said.