Says We Aligned With Secular India, Don’t Want Posts But Jobs And Electricity
Baramulla, Oct 24 : National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said his party’s decision to align with India was an alignment with Mahatma Gandhi’s and Jawaharlal Nehru’s secular India.
Addressing a party convention at Dak Bungalow, Baramulla, Abdullah as per news agency said the current communal divide for power was never imagined.
“We have said it again and again that we aligned with India – with Gandhi’s India, with Nehru’s India. We had never thought that a time would come when Muslims and Hindus would be made to fight against each other for the sake of this chair. They have ruined the country. This too will end, the time will come,” he said.
Asking party workers to fear only Allah, Abdullah stressed loyalty to the party flag.
“If you have faith in this organization (Jamaat), if you have faith in this flag for which people have given their blood, then be honest with it. Don’t be dishonest. Not that today when we are in government you are with us, and tomorrow when we are not in government (you leave). If you want to be with this Jamaat, then stay with it even when there is no government. Only then we can move forward and solve our problems,” he said.
He said NC does not demand big posts but wants development.
“We do not want anything from anyone. We are not saying make us something, give us big posts. We are saying remove our poverty, run our factories. Our electricity is generated here and we are deprived of electricity,” Abdullah said.
Recalling his tenure as Chief Minister, he said nine major power projects were planned for the state and he had sought permission to bring in cheap foreign funding.
“When I was Chief Minister, nine big power projects were to come. I went to Delhi, I requested them – please allow us to bring money from outside, it will come at a very cheap rate. The Power Minister then, Kumar Mangalam said, Farooq, they will not give you a guarantee. You make two projects, we will make it together. And for this state we will create a new thing, called BOOT – Build, Own, Operate and Transfer. We will build it, we will run it, we will recover our money, and then hand it over to you. My signatures and that Minister’s signatures are on it,” he said.
“Did they honour it? The projects were taken back from us. How did we lose the rest?” Abdullah asked.
Senior party leaders and a large number of workers attended the convention at Baramulla Dak Bungalow.
