JAMMU JANUARY 28
National Conference General Secretary Haji Ali Mohammed Sagar today exhorted the cadre to further gear up rank and file to meet the challenges faced to Jammu and Kashmir unitedly by upholding the cherished philosophy of communal and regional amity.
Addressing meeting of Provincial Office bearers, Heads of Organizational Wings, Zonal Presidents and District Presidents Jammu/ Samba at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan, Mr Sagar expressed concern over the uncertainty looming large in J&K and hoped that the cadre will remain steadfast in their resolve to fight for the right cause, which has been a proud legacy of the National Conference.
Haji Ali Mohammed Sagar stressed the crucial need of further strengthening the party at the grass-roots level by enhancing the public outreach, saying the people across Jammu and Kashmir besides Ladakh have many hopes with the National Conference, which has all along stood for welfare and dignity of all the segments of population. He said the biggest asset and the legacy of the party is its immense faith in unity in diversity, which it has demonstrated during most testing times of its history. Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah kept the torch of secularism aflame all his life and the National Conference does not need anybody’s certificate for its secular credentials, he added. He said the National Conference has, is and will remain in the forefront to seek justice for the people of all the regions and the sub-regions. “Public interest is sacrosanct for us”, he said and urged the functionaries to articulate the problems of the people at appropriate forums for seeking redressal to these. “We will uphold the interests of the people at all costs in every forum”, Mr Sagar maintained.
Speaking on the occasion, Provincial President Mr Rattan Lal Gupta expressed anguish over misgovernance and lack of accountability in the administration, saying this has created a peculiar situation with the people feeling of being pushed to the wall.
Mr Gupta referred to the accumulated problems of the people, especially unemployed youth, saying the approach of the administration is so casual and lackadaisical that no cognizance is being taken to the protests being held for redressal of grievances. In this context, he referred to the continued dharna by an elected Chairperson of the District Development Council and other representatives at Dachan in Kishtwar district and said the administration is showing scant regard to chosen representatives. This is against the democratic ethos and speaks volumes about bureaucratic arrogance, he added.
Mr Gupta appealed to the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj
Sinha to kindly intervene in the matter of DDC Chairperson Smt Pooja Thakur of Kishtwar who is sitting at the Dharna along with other DDC members for genuine cause of the people of far flung area to meet their grievances.
Those he addressed the group included Mr Khalid Najeev Suharwardy Vice President, Mr Sudagar Chand Gupta District President Samba, Mr Ragbir Singh Manhas District President Jammu Rural “A”, Mr Chander Mohan Sharma District President Jammu Urban, Mr Naresh Bittu District President Jammu Rural “B”, Mr Dinesh Singh Chouhan Provincial President Legal Cell, Mr M.K Yogi President Minority Cell, Mr Vijay Lochan Provincial President SC Cell, Mr Abdul Gani Teli Provincial President OBC Cell, Mrs Bimla Luthra State Vice President Women Wing.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included: Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Brij Mohan Sharma, Babu Rampaul, Surinder Singh Bunty, Vijay Laxami Dutta and Pardeep Bali.
