Srinagar, Nov 01: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s Advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani, on Saturday said the central government must respect the mandate given by the people of the region to the National Conference (NC) by restoring statehood as promised to them. He accused the successive regimes of ignoring Srinagar for being the “bastion” of the NC.
Addressing a gathering in Srinagar, Wani, as per the news agency, said, “Earlier, there was an opposition, but now we have a non-elected opposition that claims the government has enough powers to deliver. We have been given these powers by the Constitution. The people of J&K have given a massive mandate to the Omar Abdullah–led government this time than ever before to any party. There is a need to respect this mandate. The people voted as they were promised statehood, and they should be granted it.”
He said several projects have remained stalled for years since the NC government went out of power over a decade ago.
Wani said Omar Abdullah, after taking over as Chief Minister again last year, reviewed the ongoing and stalled works in Srinagar.
Referring to the Qamarwari Bridge, he said the project was inaugurated after 14 years. “Similarly, Boulevard Road has been witnessing congestion, which has left the local populace irked. “However, the government is making efforts to decongest the road,” he said.
Apparently reacting to the statement of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Wani said, “Everybody is out to give sermons to us, but they don’t even bother to think about what they have done. Our political opponents fought elections against the BJP and later joined hands with them, which resulted in the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, and the snatching of statehood.”
