Peoples Conference chairman SajadGani Lone reiterated on Sunday that his party would contest from all 87 seats in the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and “provide a strong alternative in the state”. He also said that PC was committed to safeguard the state’s special status “from further erosion.”
Lone was speaking after a function here where former legislator from Zanskar Muhammad Baqir Rizvi, former Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson AbhijeetJasrotia, NitinJamwal, Parshotam Kumar, Ashish Pandita, advocate Abrar Ahmed Khan and advocate IrfanInqlabi joined the Peoples Conference.
Sajad said the Peoples Conference would ensure that all the three regions of the state “unite under a common goal to usher the state into an era of good governance, peace and amity”.
“We are committed to delivering on the heterogeneous expectations of people from all the three regions. Our focus is to empower dedicated, grassroots voices and leaders in all the three regions and create a cohesive, coherent political alternative to the traditional twin-party politics of theatrics, lies and hypocrisy. You will see the party (PC) strengthening its presence in every constituency of the state,” he said.
“PC will be a strong alternative of hope, inclusivity and amity in the state”.
Welcoming the new entrants into the party fold, senior PC leader Imran Ansari, who was present on the occasion, said: “PC is rapidly emerging as an alternative of constructive politics in the state and would fight the traditional system of tyranny, corruption and monopoly in all the three regions.”
FREEWHEELING INTERVIEW WITH SAJAD LONE
Q: Is it feasible to fight on 87 seats for a party of your size?
A: Jammu and Kashmir is a small state. 87 is not a big number. There is a yearning for change on the ground. There is space for a new political party or for an existing political party to make forays. There is a lot of resentment on the ground and normally, it is the time to move in. When we say 87 seats, the idea is to go and share the problems that people face. It does not mean that we have to fight every seat and win every seat. But yes, you at least get a feel of what your state is going through, because Jammu and Kashmir is not a homogenous state. It is very heterogeneous. So you have to have an understanding to purport, to represent every person in J&K, their feelings, their grievances. Then you need to have a spread as vast as possible within your state. It is essential. We want to try that at least we represent every nook and corner of the state.
Q: There was a speculation that if you had formed the government, it would have been with BharatiyaJanata Party as NC, PDP and Congress were planning on a ‘mahagathbandhan’, and you had no option than the BJP. Where does fighting 87 seats on your own leave your alliance with BJP?
A: In the last assembly, PDP and BJP formed a coalition government. Then after the BJP and PDP broke the alliance, it was possible that if several legislators joined or supported PC, then we would have formed the government with BJP. And then NC, PDP and Congress also tried to form the government. In my opinion, all these alliances, all the permutations and combinations, with the dissolution of the assembly, are history. This is now a new chapter. We are going on our own to the people. In the last assembly election, there was a split verdict. The verdict was only for development and nothing else. In the next elections, we will try to go out with a fuller vision and try to see where we are placed. So we will go on our own. No baggage of any sort. Just the people.
Q: If there is a split verdict again in the next election, would you try to form an alliance with someone else?
A: I am sure there will not be a split verdict. There will be a much more decisive mandate this time. It will not be fragmented like last time.
Q: Your statements, like most other politicians, revolve around talking about the past (NC did that and PDP did this). Will we ever see that the set rhetoric is not parroted anymore?
A: First of all, we will come out with a comprehensive document, which will be very decisive in terms of touching every sector. To answer your question, as to why I talk about the past, we have to see that when we talk to the media, we address to lakhs and lakhs of people, who are being bombarded with information from everywhere. Now there is a party, which has been lying for the past 70 years. If I do not contradict their story and remind people of what they have been up to, there is a great fear that the people might fall again into the trap. Right now, in the present age, all the information is available to anyone and everyone. It is a virtual information war. So if I do not counter these people and speak about what they have done in the past, the probability of the common man falling into the trap is very high. I am not saying that I am all good, but at the end of the day, the other leaders, Mehboobaji, Farooq Abdullah sahab, have been at the helm of affairs when the biggest massacres took place. And yet, they enact a theatre on civilian killings, which boils my blood. I am sure that they (NC, PDP) will be ten times more cruel, if God forbid, they were to come back to power. So if I don’t focus on that facet, there could actually be a chance that the masters of scamming, scam people again. It is human nature to get tricked, and we are in competition with people who are the masters of the trade of lying. So it is necessary for me to speak and tell people the truth. When they (NC, PDP) talk of conflict, I want to tell them that conflict cannot be solved in a day. It will take years of good governance. Do not make false promises and fool the people. Work in reality and try to actually solve the issues.
Q: What do you think about National Conference’s talk of regional autonomy?
A: Autonomy is very important. But can the eroders (sic) be the restorers? If you talk about restoring autonomy now, why did you erode it in the first place? So before the elections, we will come out with a whitepaper which will tell everyone what happened, why it happened and who did it, and which regional party played what role in it. We are committed to safeguarding Article 35-A and Article 370 from any further erosion and will support all sincere efforts to restore the state’s special status to its pristine form. However, it is imperative that the two parties (NC and PDP) are exposed for their active role in the erosion of Article 370 till now. They were co-conspirators in every single script and machination launched against the state’s special status. We will come up with a factual, detailed whitepaper clearly exposing their devious role
Q: Where do you see yourself after 10 years in J&K politics?
A: Well I really want to be known as someone who reformed politics, the political culture and administration. I will do something outside the box. There are so many things that I would do away with. So many archaic laws that I would do away with, so that life becomes simpler for the common man. He would not have to strive and have to go through an ordeal for simple things, for his rights.