Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday said the National Conference and the PDP owe an apology to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their age-old gimmicks and frequently changing political goalposts to woo the electorate. The Jammu and Kashmir Apni party is contesting the first-ever elections in the union territory after its formation last year. Addressing a party”s District Development Council (DDC) polls’ campaign convention at Tangmarag in Baramulla district, Bukhari said right from the “propaganda” of ‘raishumari’ (plebiscite), greater autonomy, joint assembly, dual currency, self-rule and now the restoration of special status, the NC and the PDP leadership have never refrained from raising passions for their “petty electoral gains”. “In the last 72 years, the NC has ditched and befooled people by exploiting the political sentiments of the people. Similarly, the PDP didn”t lag and raised slogans that were totally misleading. These political parties have disrespected the peoples” mandate and enjoyed power in the NDA and formed the governments with the BJP,” Bukhari said He said these political parties are now again trying to hoodwink the people by comparing the DDC elections with some sort of referendum. “People should understand that DDC elections are purely meant for good governance, developmental projects, infrastructure, quality education, health services and employment opportunities that will certainly bring respite to the people,” he said. Senior vice president of Apni Party and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir the ‘Gupkar alliance’ is another “poll plank to befool the people of J-K”. Party”s senior leader and former minister Mohammad Dilawar Mir also spoke on the occasion.
