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The Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has re-elected Mehbooba Mufti as president for the third consecutive term. The 12-year-old party’s reins have mostly remained in the hands of its founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba with a brief stint by Muzaffar Hussain Beigh as the party head.
Muftis founded the party in July 1999 after quitting the Congress to resist the monopolistic politics of National Conference, which was the strongest regional political entity in the State that time. The PDP mobilised against the then Farooq Abdullah-led NC regime and shot into prominence by getting 16 seats in the 2002 Assembly election which enabled the party to lead a coalition Government with the Congress for three years.
Mehbooba alleged that the present coalition Government has created utter chaos and confusion in the State and consigned the common people to sense of fear and insecurity.
“Unlike other parts of the country, the taste of democracy was denied historically to the people of Jammu and Kashmir because National Conference had never allowed democratic institutions to be flourished in the State,” Mehbooba said. She alleged that the NC-led Government was brazenly trying to undermine the democratic institutions.
Terming 2002 Assembly elections as turning point in the history of State that helped in reviving peoples’ faith in the democracy, she said and asserted that it was PDP which convinced the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to revive peoples’ faith in the democracy by ensuring free and fair elections in the State.
She further said corruption and misgoverance were the biggest issues before the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to custodial death of a senior NC functionary Haji Yousuf, she said the death has exposed the greater mess in the State Government as well as in the ruling party.
Muftis founded the party in July 1999 after quitting the Congress to resist the monopolistic politics of National Conference, which was the strongest regional political entity in the State that time. The PDP mobilised against the then Farooq Abdullah-led NC regime and shot into prominence by getting 16 seats in the 2002 Assembly election which enabled the party to lead a coalition Government with the Congress for three years.
Mehbooba alleged that the present coalition Government has created utter chaos and confusion in the State and consigned the common people to sense of fear and insecurity.
“Unlike other parts of the country, the taste of democracy was denied historically to the people of Jammu and Kashmir because National Conference had never allowed democratic institutions to be flourished in the State,” Mehbooba said. She alleged that the NC-led Government was brazenly trying to undermine the democratic institutions.
Terming 2002 Assembly elections as turning point in the history of State that helped in reviving peoples’ faith in the democracy, she said and asserted that it was PDP which convinced the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to revive peoples’ faith in the democracy by ensuring free and fair elections in the State.
She further said corruption and misgoverance were the biggest issues before the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to custodial death of a senior NC functionary Haji Yousuf, she said the death has exposed the greater mess in the State Government as well as in the ruling party.
