Banihal, August 21: National Conference leader and MLA Banihal Sajjad Shaheen today said the PDP’s alliance with the BJP in 2014 was a historic betrayal of the trust and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a joining function in Banihal, Shaheen said the PDP had sought votes in the name of protecting the political identity, dignity and interests of Jammu and Kashmir, but after the elections chose to enter into an alliance with the BJP despite the fundamental differences between their political positions.
“The people had voted for the PDP believing that it would stand as a safeguard against forces seeking to undermine Jammu and Kashmir’s special position and political identity. Instead, the PDP entered into an alliance with the very forces whose agenda was fundamentally opposed to the aspirations it had claimed to represent. That was the beginning of the betrayal,” Shaheen said.
He said the consequences of that political compromise were profound and cannot be brushed aside.
“The PDP cannot escape its political responsibility for the course of events that followed. The party entered into an arrangement with the BJP in 2014, shared power with it and helped create the political circumstances in which Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and political position was ultimately dismantled. The people will not forget this,” he said.
Shaheen said the PDP’s political narrative before 2014 and its conduct after the elections were two entirely different stories.
“Before the elections, the PDP spoke the language of resistance, dignity and safeguarding the interests of Jammu and Kashmir. After the elections, the pursuit of power became more important than the principles on which it had sought the people’s mandate. This contradiction exposed the hollowness of its claims,” he said.
He said the events of August 5, 2019, and the subsequent conversion of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory represented a profound setback to the political status and democratic aspirations of the region.
“Those who were partners in power with the BJP cannot now wash their hands of the consequences of that partnership. History will judge every political decision, every compromise and every alliance. The people have a right to ask the PDP what it achieved through that alliance and what Jammu and Kashmir lost,” Shaheen said.
Taking a further dig at the PDP, Shaheen said the party could not selectively remember the past only when it suited its present political narrative.
“Political memory cannot be convenient. You cannot stand before the people today and speak about dignity after having compromised your political position for power yesterday. The people are intelligent enough to distinguish between genuine conviction and political opportunism,” he said.
Shaheen said the recent movement of political workers from the PDP and Congress towards the National Conference was a reflection of the changing political mood in Banihal.
Welcoming the new entrants, he said their decision demonstrated that political workers were increasingly looking towards the National Conference as a credible platform for representing the aspirations and interests of the people.
“The National Conference does not need to borrow its commitment to Jammu and Kashmir from election to election. Our history, our struggle and our politics speak for themselves. We have stood with the people in difficult times and will continue to do so,” he said.
Shaheen said the people of Banihal were primarily concerned with development, employment, roads, power, healthcare, education and better connectivity, but these issues could not be separated from the larger question of dignity and political empowerment.
He said as the elected representative of Banihal, he would continue to raise every issue affecting the constituency and pursue projects aimed at improving the lives of people across the region.
“My politics is not about making tall claims; it is about remaining accessible to the people and delivering wherever possible. I will continue to pursue every genuine demand of Banihal-Gool, irrespective of how difficult the terrain or how complicated the administrative process may be,” Shaheen said.
He said the people had rejected politics based on “betrayal, opportunism and shifting positions” and were increasingly looking for leadership that remained consistent in its principles.
“The message from the ground is clear: people want politics of conviction, not convenience; politics of service, not power; and leadership that stands with them through difficult times. The National Conference will continue to carry that responsibility with sincerity,” Shaheen said.
