Former Minister

Jammu, June 28 (HS). Criticising the present UT administration for pushing Jammu and Kashmir into the dark ages, former minister and JKNC zonal president Babu Rampal on Friday said everyone is unhappy and restless under the present regime and are eagerly waiting for the holding of assembly elections to elect a popular government.

During the meeting Babu Rampal discussed in detail various aspects required to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. He said that National Conference is the only party which believes in secularism and can fight for the rights of the underprivileged section of the society. The party has taken many historic decisions in the past for the welfare of the marginalized sections of the society.

Rampal said that from Sher-e-Kashmir to Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Janab Omar Abdullah, it has served the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state with full honesty and dedication. The former minister further said that the last election in Jammu and Kashmir was held in 2014 and since then no election has been held due to which people are being deprived of their constitutional and democratic rights. He said that India is called the mother of democracy but depriving people of elections for a long time is murder of democracy and urged the Center to conduct assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir without any delay.

He said that no democracy can survive without elections as popular government is the soul and people are its body. He said that elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been held in the worst conditions before and no one can tolerate the Centre's excuse that the situation is not conducive for elections. Also Ankush Abrol Provincial Joint Secretary said that BJP snatched statehood from the people of Jammu and Kashmir and deprived them of elected government and now we are being taxed heavily in various forms.