Banihal, Aug 09: Dozens of prominent workers and activists associated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Gool today joined the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC) in Banihal, reaffirming their faith in the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the people-centric development agenda being pursued by the NC-led government.
Welcoming the new entrants into the party fold, senior National Conference leader and MLA Banihal-Gool, Sajjad Shaheen, said that the growing influx of people into the National Conference was a clear endorsement of the party’s politics of development, dignity, secularism and protection of the rights of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
Shaheen said the people were increasingly recognising the difference between those who stood with them during difficult times and those who compromised their political positions for short-term power. He said the PDP’s 2014 alliance with the BJP had left a deep political and institutional legacy for which the people of Jammu & Kashmir were still paying a heavy price.
“Those who promised to safeguard the interests and special status of Jammu & Kashmir ultimately joined hands with the BJP. The PDP’s politics of opportunism and its alliance with the BJP contributed to the political circumstances in which the special constitutional position of Jammu & Kashmir was subsequently downgraded and eroded. The people have neither forgotten nor forgiven this betrayal,” Shaheen said.
He accused the PDP leadership of practising a dual politics, claiming to champion the interests of Jammu & Kashmir while simultaneously enabling forces whose political agenda was contrary to the aspirations and constitutional rights of the people of the erstwhile state.
“The people of Jammu & Kashmir are today paying the price of the political misjudgements and compromises of those who betrayed the trust reposed in them. History will judge those who chose power over principles,” he said.
Shaheen asserted that the National Conference, in contrast, has consistently remained a guardian of the political, constitutional and democratic rights of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, irrespective of circumstances.
“From Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, the National Conference has never abandoned the people of Jammu & Kashmir. We have faced difficult periods, stood against injustice and continued to raise our voice for the dignity, identity, rights and democratic aspirations of our people,” he said.
He said the growing support for the National Conference was also a reflection of the people’s appreciation of the development-oriented and people-friendly governance under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Shaheen highlighted what he described as a renewed and equitable development push across Jammu & Kashmir, saying that infrastructure, roads, education, health, power, water supply, tourism, sports and other sectors were receiving focused attention.
He said the objective was not merely to develop urban centres but to ensure that remote, hilly and historically neglected areas also received their rightful share of development.
“Under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, development is being pursued on the principle of equity. From the plains to the mountains and from towns to remote villages, every region is being brought into the development process. Banihal-Gool is also witnessing this transformation,” he said.
Referring specifically to the Banihal-Gool constituency, Shaheen said several major development initiatives had either been sanctioned, approved or taken up during the present tenure. He said the ongoing development process was aimed at creating better connectivity, employment opportunities, educational facilities, healthcare infrastructure and economic avenues for the people, particularly those living in remote mountainous areas.
Welcoming the former PDP workers, Shaheen said their decision to join the National Conference demonstrated that political workers were increasingly seeking a platform rooted in principles, public service and inclusive development.
“The doors of the National Conference remain open to all those who believe in democratic values, secularism, social justice, development and the political and constitutional rights of the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.
Shaheen said the latest political shift in Gool was not merely an organisational development for the National Conference but a reflection of a larger change in public sentiment, with people choosing performance, accessibility and principled politics over political opportunism.
He called upon party workers to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and remain connected with the people, saying that the National Conference would continue to work towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people and building a more equitable, peaceful and prosperous Jammu & Kashmir.
