“Year of Lies & Institutional Decay”: Sajad Lone scathes NC Govt. saying mandate was stolen via lies

Srinagar: J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Gani Lone on Thrusday termed the National Conference-led government’s tenure a “saga of betrayal,” asserting that 2025 has been unequivocally exposed as a “year of lies.”

Addressing an impressive press conference in Handwara, Lone, accompanied by senior party leader and Cheif Spokesperson Bashir Ahmed Dar and other prominent party functionaries, dismantled the administration’s claims of governance, exposing it of perpetrating the “most cruel and useless” rule in Jammu & Kashmir’s history.

In his statement, Lone highlited the current government’s flagship election promises, categorizing them as a calculated deception. He highlighted that instead of the promised free 200 units of electricity, residents in non-metered areas have been slapped with a 50% hike in tariffs.

“The promise of 12 gas cylinders has vanished, and the pledge of one lakh jobs has morphed into a ‘major outsourcing scam,’ where permanent government posts are being auctioned off to private companies to exploit the youth,” Lone charged.

He lamented that the administration has reduced governance to a mere “transfer industry,” ignoring the crumbling state of essential services.

The PC President was particularly scathing regarding the “petty vendetta politics” aimed at Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara. He alleged that the administration is deliberately stifling the institution simply because it was sanctioned during the People’s Conference tenure.

“It is a badge of shame that while every Medical College in the UT received an MRI machine, Handwara was excluded solely because its MLA sits in the opposition,” Lone said. He vowed to procure the MRI and Cath Lab through CSR funds if the government continues its apathy, emphasizing that the college has transformed the local economy and cannot be allowed to suffer due to political insecurity.

Seamlessly echoing Lone’s sentiments, PC Spokesperson Bashir Ahmed Dar characterized the last 15 months of the NC government as a “liability of failures.” Dar ridiculed the recent “manufactured hype” surrounding the ruling party’s Rajya Sabha nomination, dismissing it as a distraction from their administrative incompetence.

“A Rajya Sabha member has no constitutional authority over district development; they have merely created a ‘Senior SPO’ post to accommodate a loyalist while the actual constituency work—the duty of the MLA—remains neglected,” Dar remarked. He added that the opposition had waited for the promised “new dawn” by December 31st, only to witness more ribbon-cutting exercises devoid of substance.

Expanding on systemic issues, Sajad Lone flagged the “dangerous skew” in the current reservation policy, noting that 74% of selections under the 60% reserved quota are going to the Jammu region, leaving Kashmiris with a meager share. He urged the political class to stop “selling dreams” and demanded the restoration of District and Divisional cadres to address the imbalance.

Lone also took a swipe at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s “criminal silence” regarding the alleged harassment of Kashmiris outside the UT, contrasting the CM’s inaction with the helplessness of the people.

“I would have expected the Chief Minister to pick up the phone and intervene. It is tragic that they are missing in action when our people face lynching and denial of rental spaces abroad,” he stated.

Concluding the presser with a stark warning, Lone invoked the history of electoral rigging in 1987, reminding the ruling party that their power no longer rests on the “police crutches” of the past.

“This government is so disconnected and cruel that it will not complete its five-year term; the sheer anger of the people will bring it down on the streets,” Lone predicted, asserting that the Peoples Conference will continue to hold the mirror to the regime’s failures.