No empowerment of J&K; people: NC MP Mehdi on party's pre-poll promises

Srinagar, Sep 11 (PTI) The people of Jammu and Kashmir are "disappointed" as their expectations of empowerment and accountability following the massive mandate given to the National Conference (NC) in the Assembly polls have not been fulfilled, the ruling party's Lok Sabha member Ruhullah Mehdi said on Thursday.

He asserted that the elected people's representatives should struggle for issues on which they sought votes.

"The empowerment and accountability for which the people had voted, there are several disappointments among the people that we are not going in that direction," Mehdi told reporters in Anantnag district.

During an interaction with the civil society at the Town Hall in the south Kashmir district, the Srinagar MP said this while responding to a question on whether the NC government is working towards the empowerment of people.

"The way the situation is right now, there is no empowerment (of people)," he said.

Mehdi said the elected leaders should "struggle for the issues on which they got the mandate. If they do not work for those or settle for anything less, it is a betrayal of the people".

The firebrand MP has been at loggerheads with the NC leadership on several issues, including the struggle for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and over the existing reservation policy in the Union Territory.

However, the influential Shia leader said his visit to Anantnag was not linked to his party.

"I have no concern with any party, I am here neither in favour of any party nor against any party. I was here for an interaction at the invitation of the civil society. Anyone could have come here, whether associated with the NC, the PDP or the Congress. Also, anyone, even if he belongs to the NC, has the freedom not to come here," he said.

Before the start of the event, Mehdi said there were rumours that he was detained on his way to Anantnag and that the venue for the programme was sealed.

"These do not bother me. These are tricks of the administration as it wanted to foil the programme, but it took place," he said.

When reminded that it was the NC that had brought the Public Safety Act (PSA) in Jammu and Kashmir and also sought votes to revoke it in the run-up to last year's Assembly polls, Mehdi said the law was implemented to stop timber smuggling, but has since been "misused".

"It was brought to stop timber smuggling. Since then, it has been misused," he said.

The NC leader pointed out that his party had stated in its manifesto that once statehood was restored, it would revoke the PSA but it was not done as law and order is not in the hands of the elected government of the Union Territory.

"That is why I keep saying that we should fight for the restoration of the status, so that once it is achieved, we can bring such changes in the laws. But we have forgotten that fight, we are not fighting that fight. When will we achieve those rights then? We got votes for that," he added.

The Centre on August 5, 2019 abrogated the provisions of Article 370 that had given special rights to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into Union territories. PTI SSB APL RC