Srinagar: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the PDP of looting Jammu and Kashmir besides emotionally blackmailing people, party patron Mufti Muhammad Sayeed today said his party leadership does not need any certificate on its integrity.
Modi is staking the prestige of the high office he occupies by indulging in defamatory rhetoric for electoral gains in Jammu and Kashmir, Sayeed said while addressing elections rallies in Kulgam and Kupwara districts. “Unfortunately, he (Modi) is doing so without regard to facts or the perception among the people of the state,” the PDP patron said.
“It is very alarming that the Prime Minister of a large country like ours should be so much ill-informed about the ground realities of a sensitive state like J-K and just for adding few seats in the assembly he should sacrifice facts and promote a culture of character assassination,” Sayeed who was chief minister from 2002 to 2005, said.
In a veiled attack at coalition governments of NC-Congress and PDP-Congress, the Prime Minister said, “those who have been rejected by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, take benefit and change coalition partners to remain in power and loot as much as they want by turns”.
Sayeed said Jammu and Kashmir has a different experience of prime ministerial visits which have generally focused on larger picture of the region and how peace, stability and development could be ushered in.
“Atal Bihari Vajpayee redefined the future course by his visit to Kashmir and his cooperation with the PDP-led government but it is unfortunate that Modi in spite of swearing by the Vajpayee policy has so far observed it only in breach,” he said.
Sayeed said the Prime Minister has to be unifying force and not the one who is seen as a source of division and confrontation.
The Prime Minister had yesterday said Jammu and Kashmir has been stagnant for the last 30 years due to lack of development and accused the ruling NC, Congress and PDP of indulging in corruption and looting the state besides “emotionally blackmailing” people.
