Delivering a hard-hitting salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Conference president and its parliamentary candidate for ongoing Lok Sabha polls Dr Farooq Abdullah on Monday said that “if Kashmir is India’s atoot ang (integral part), then Modi should provide justice to Kashmiris.”
“How is it an integral part? How can it be an integral part when Modi has done nothing for Kashmir,” Dr Abdullah said during National Conference’s convention at Sher-i-Kashmir Park here on Monday.
“Let me say this categorically to Modi that hearts are not won with pellet guns, highway bans, doing injustice with common people,” Dr Abdullah said.
Castigating Modi for failing to win the hearts and minds of Kashmiris, Dr Abdullah said that Modi only made hollow promises. “Where are the 80 thousand crores promised to Kashmiris. We should take a look at the roads and streets in Kashmir and see their bad condition. Take a look at thousands of unemployed youth of Kashmir,” Abdullah said.
Reminding Modi of 1996 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, when the valley was in throes of insurgency Dr Abdullah said that it was “NC who saved democracy in Kashmir.”
“Modi should remember that in 1996 when no was ready for elections in Kashmir, I was the one who went ahead even as my colleagues advised me against it. But I wanted the people to get rid of the difficulties they were facing. I wanted to end the bloodletting. I held this flag and went ahead at that difficult time. You (Modi) should never forget that. There was no one here then, but now you scream," he said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused Abdullahs and Muftis for breaking the country to which Abdullah reacted sharply saying that it was Modi who was trying to break the country.
“Even if Modi tries his best, he will not be able to break India. I want to tell him from here today that you will break, but India will not. You accuse the Abdullahs of trying to break India, if we wanted to break India, there would have been no India then," he said.
Dr Abullah said that his party works for the rights of everyone, not just one group or community.
“Our party fights for the rights of all the people be it Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians or Buddhists and we will continue to fight,” the former two-time chief minister of the state said.
NC’s parliamentary candidate for Srinagar, which will go for polls on 18 April, Dr Abdullah further said that National Conference will not shake hands with those whose hands are drenched with the blood of Muslims. “Last time Sajad Lone came to me and told me to join hands with him and BJP, I refused and was at the hospital at that time. My party took a brave and courageous decision to not to form alliance with them,” Abdullah said.
Calling Modi’s commemoration of Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which occurred on 13 April 1931 and in which hundreds of Indian men were gunned down by British forces, as half-baked and fake, Dr Abdullah said, “Modi remembered slain men of Jallianwala Bagh massacre but he forgot to remember and commemorate Saifuddin Kichloo and other Kashmiris who fought against the British.”
“Are sacrifices offered by Kashmiris while fighting against the British forces not sacrifices for you,” Abdullah asked Modi.
Lashing out at Modi, Dr Abdullah said, “You remember those who killed Mahatma Gandhi.”
Dr Adbullah said that he and his party will not support Modi till his last breath.
“I am warning you that Modi will offer you money to vote for his party but remember that they will destroy Kashmir. Your vote should go to NC only,” Dr Abdullah said while appealing people to vote for NC in the ongoing parliamentary elections.
Dr Abdullah said that the present situation is not just about elections. “Elections will come and go but we have to save Kashmir,” he said.
The NC president asked people to be cautious as the BJP would try to lure them with money. "They will come to you with money. They have about Rs 30,000 crore from Rafale deal," he said, asking people to be united and vote for the NC.
On the occasion, National Conference vice president and former JK Chief Minister said that people should be wary of those who call for the boycott of elections. “We have seen in last elections (Municipal and Panchayat elections) who benefited from the boycott. We are appealing people to not fall for calls of boycott and participate in exercising your franchise to vote your true representatives,” he said.
Addressing the rally, party's vice president said during this election, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have come to know about the challenges and conspiracies that the state faces.
"There are several powers which are trying to change the map of J-K. Some people are there who want to weaken J-K's identity and special status which we have inherited. The PM of this country warns this state in his every speech and screams the names of our party leaders and our party, saying that he will not let us succeed. Modi sahib, we will see what you will do to us if you win on May 23 (counting day)," he said.
The NC vice-president, while referring to Modi's Kathua speech on Sunday, said his party was not like those who say one thing before the polls and another afterwards.
"The speech you (Modi) made yesterday in which you said that you want to rid the state of the two dynasties, I remember you made the same speech in 2014. But, then what did you do in January 2015? You embraced one of the two dynasties. You made two chief ministers from that dynasty. So, should I be answerable or you? We do not make false promises," he said referring to the PDP-BJP alliance in the state.