Apni Party holds workers’ convention in Kupwara

Says, ‘The Constitution of the country clearly defines the powers of the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister. I believe that in J&K, both are operating within their respective limits’

Srinagar : Apni Party Senior Vice President Ghulam Hassan Mir urged the Centre on Saturday to engage with the people of Jammu and Kashmir to build mutual confidence and trust. He said that only the ruling BJP at the Centre has the power and authority to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, and that the regional parties which claimed during the assembly elections that they would restore statehood were simply lying and misleading the people.

Mir made these remarks today while speaking to the media on the sidelines of the party’s district workers’ convention in Kupwara, where an impressive gathering was organised to rejuvenate party workers.

Earlier, while addressing the gathering, Ghulam Hassan Mir said that the Apni Party is committed to standing with the people for the protection of their rights and to guiding them on the path to peace, prosperity, and development.

He said, “Apni Party is committed to the restoration of sustained peace in Jammu and Kashmir and to the wellbeing and prosperity of its people. We will always stand by our people to protect their rights and guide them on the path of truth and integrity. We will never join hands with the enemies of the people.” He added, “Unfortunately, the traditional parties have consistently misled the people with fake promises and emotional slogans. Unlike these parties, Apni Party believes in the politics of truthfulness. That is why we have never promised the moon and the stars. We say only what we believe is achievable. We never mislead our people for political gain.”

Replying to a question from the media, Ghulam Hassan Mir said that the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir misled the people during its assembly election campaign by making promises about goals that were actually unachievable.

He said, “The party which is now ruling in J&K had told people that after forming the government, they would restore the abrogated Article 370. They also claimed that they would restore statehood. Have they achieved these goals? These matters are not within their authority or control. As far as statehood is concerned, only the ruling party at the Centre, which is the BJP, has the power to restore it in Jammu and Kashmir. We always knew that such promises by traditional parties were simply lies. They misled the people with such slogans and promises. Unfortunately, the people are also at fault for placing their trust in those promises.”

He went on to say, “They even failed to fulfill those promises that were within their control and authority. For instance, in their election campaign, they had promised to provide 200 units of free electricity to consumers. However, they ended up offering it only to households under the AAY category, a small minority. Moreover, they included their own workers in the AAY category before granting 200 units of free electricity to that group.”

Ghulam Hassan Mir said that the Apni Party had not spoken against the government so far because “we wanted to give it some time to fulfill its promises. But now, nine months down the line, we see that this government has failed completely. We, as an effective opposition, are now becoming the people’s voice by identifying the shortcomings of the government. This is our role, and we will play it effectively for the larger interest of the people.”

On the claim of dual power centres in J&K, Ghulam Hassan Mir said, “We are governed by the Constitution, which defines the powers of the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister. I believe both are expected to operate within the limits of their defined powers. Furthermore, those who are running the government today had once claimed that they would not contest elections because elected governments in Union Territories do not have much power. This clearly indicates that they were already aware of the limited powers of an elected government in a Union Territory.”

Addressing the gathering, Apni Party Chief Spokesperson Muntazir Mohiuddin said that post-August 2019, Apni Party leaders played a crucial role. He said, “In those challenging times, when all others chose to remain silent, Apni Party leaders, led by Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, came forward to stand by the people. We decided to play our role in order to protect the rights of the people. We secured the central government’s guarantee on the exclusive rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir over land and jobs. Today, except for five percent of industrial land, outsiders cannot acquire even an inch of land here. This is Apni Party’s unparalleled contribution post-August 2019.”

Addressing the occasion, President of party’s Youth Wing Yawar Mir accused the government of failing to deliver on governance front. He said,

“Forget its tall claims about restoring the abrogated Article 370 — this government has failed even to provide basic amenities to the people. Take Baramulla’s Rafiabad and several areas across Kupwara district, for instance, where people are struggling for access to water. They have neither a supply of potable water nor water for agricultural use. In nine months, this government has not even managed to arrange filtration pumps for the affected areas.”

Speaking at the workers’ convention, Apni Party District President Raja Manzoor urged the government to enhance the compensation amount for border residents who recently suffered huge losses due to cross-border shelling. He said that the announced compensation amount is meagre in comparison to the actual losses. People have lost their homes and everything in this relentless shelling. They deserve complete support from the government, as they have suffered both human and material losses through no fault of their own.

Party Spokesperson Ishrat Bhat, on this occasion, urged the party workers to intensify their political and public outreach activities in order to remain closely connected with the masses in their respective areas.

The other prominent leaders who were present on the occasion included Spokesperson Ishrat bhat, District Vice President and Constituency In-charge Kupwara, Mohammad Amin Bhat, District Vice President and Constituency In-charge Trehgam Dr Noor-ud-Din Shah, District Secretary Javid Geelani, District Coordinator and Constituency In-charge Langate Munwar Khawaja, District Joint Secretary Mohammad Ashraf Andarbi, Constituency In-charge Handwara Abdul Rashid Bhat, Constituency In-charge Lolab Abdul Rehman Wani, District Publicity Secretary Bilal Arif, District Member Parvaiz ahmad, Block President Chokibal Ghulam Nabi Lone, Farooq Ahmad Wani, Gulam Hassan Dar, Firdous Geelani, Adv. Rayees, Akash Ashraf, Manzoor Ahmad, Javid Lone, Harbachan Singh, All block Presidents, and Zonal and Block Office bearers.