Welcome political activists from Bandipora into party fold
Srinagar, June 17: Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday criticised the ruling National Conference (NC), accusing it of misleading people through what he described as false promises and political slogans, and termed its proposed sit-in protest in Delhi for restoration of statehood as a “political gimmick”.
Bukhari made the remarks while addressing a party event at the Apni Party headquarters in Srinagar, organised to welcome political and social activists from Bandipora into the party fold.
Questioning NC’s seriousness on the issue of statehood restoration, Bukhari said the proposed protest was aimed at creating a perception of commitment rather than pursuing the demand in earnest.
He alleged that the NC leadership had historically failed to deliver on major political promises and accused the party of repeatedly raising issues for political and electoral gains.
Referring to the post-August 5, 2019 political situation, Bukhari said NC had earlier projected restoration of Article 370 and later shifted focus to statehood.
He said Apni Party had earlier proposed a united effort by all political parties from Jammu and Kashmir to collectively pursue restoration of statehood before New Delhi, but alleged that NC did not support the proposal.
Bukhari maintained that if the ruling party was serious about the demand, it should have worked towards a broader political consensus rather than organising symbolic protests.
During the event, several political and social activists from Bandipora, including Naseer Ahmad Mir, Abdul Rasheed Ashna and Basharat Hussain Najar, joined the Apni Party in the presence of senior party leaders.
