JAMMU: Asking BJP to explain to the people why it betrayed Jammu, bartered their massive mandate for personal gains and caused huge dent to the pride of the region, National Conference Provincial President Devender Singh Rana today said its leaders have lost the moral authority of seeking votes again.”BJP’s six years performance card in Jammu has been blank”, Rana said while paying tributes to Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah on his 115th birth anniversary.He said BJP is suffering acute credibility deficit and political isolation in Jammu because of its double standards and self-centric approach. It has failed in keeping up the commitments during three and half years’ nightmarish rule and even thereafter with the party being ruling in New Delhi. During the past over five years development got a huge dent and Jammu pride received severe bruises.The people are well aware about the dismal BJP performance especially with regard to various flagship projects, providing jobs to deserving and meritorious unemployed and sitting over the genuine demands of various categories of daily wagers and casual labourers for their regularization, he said.Rana also blamed the BJP for playing with the sentiments of the people, who he said were so disillusioned that they had lost faith in participatory democracy. The self-styled protectors of the Jammu cause turned out to be villains of the region and the people, he said, adding that the people were fast realizing their mistake of reposing faith in the BJP in 2014.”Now, the voters have made up their mind to give BJP a befitting reply in the ongoing elections, as it has left Jammu and Kashmir in total chaos. He described the BJP as a political chameleon, saying except gaining power it has no other agenda.He said whenever historians will pen-down the political odyssey of Jammu and Kashmir; National Conference will find mention in golden letters because of its commitment to the people and the cause it has been espousing for their overall good.Leading National Conference functionaries in paying tributes to Sheikh Sahib at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan, the Provincial President said the visionary leader rejected Mohammed Ali Jinah’s two-nation theory and tied destiny of Jammu and Kashmir with Mahatma Gandhi’s secular India because he believed in pluralistic and forward looking society.”The best tribute to the leader of the masses would be to uphold his ideals secular, pluralistic, democratic, muliti-ethnic and multi linguistic ethos of Jammu and Kashmir”, Rana said and recalled the great role of the tallest leader of the Indian sub-continent in transforming Muslim Conference into National Conference, as he firmly believed in taking all segments of the inclusive society along.”Sher-e-Kashmir will be remembered by generations for his revolutionary Land Reforms Act, devolution of powers under Single Line Administration to ensure equitable development of all the regions and sub-regions besides promoting Panchayati Raj System to empower people at grass roots level”, the Provincial President said, adding that Sheikh Sahib’s role will go down in the annals of history with golden letters and historians can never afford to ignore the contribution of National Conference towards peace, prosperity and development of Jammu and Kashmir.Referring to the challenges faced to this part of the country, the Provincial President exuded confidence that the people in general and the National Conference cadre in particular will meet these with courage and fortitude.For this the unity and tranquility is imperative, which has been core of the party, he said, hoping that the people will strive for making Jammu and Kashmir a better place to live in by contributing towards peace and progress. This will be a befitting tribute to Sheikh Sahib, who believed in the idea of secular, peaceful and prosperous J&K, Rana added.Earlier, floral tributes were paid to Sheikh Sahib by senior party leaders and workers. Prominent among those included Ajay Kumar Sadhotra, Rattan Lal Gupta, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Th. Kashmira Singh, Bushan Lal Bhat, Anil Dhar, Vijay Lochan, Abdul Gani Teli, Vijay Laxami Dutta, Satwant Kour Dogra, S.S Bunty, Dilshad Malik, G.H Malik, Nar Singh, Dr. Gagan Bhagat, Swaran Latta, Sardar Dharshan Singh Azad, Ashok Dogra, Asha Mehra, Som Raj Taroch, Reyaz Ahmed Hakala, Waris Gill, Karan Singh, Col Rashid, Parshotam Lal, Sardar Tejinder Singh, Nitish Gowsami, Zamir Quershi, Pinki Kalsha, Mohinder Kumar Rana, Hassena Begum, Sajjid Malik, Munar Hyder, Ashraf Ali, Mohd Aslam, Joginder Singh, Sanjeev Mahajan, Sardar Gurman Singh, Rizwan Ul Zaman and others.
