National Conference (NC) general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar on Monday announced that the party would be rewarded with a decisive mandate to govern the state in the forthcoming assembly elections. While addressing delegates and senior activists from the Sopore constituency at party headquarters, Sagar said the party would fight the elections on its proven track-record of fostering infrastructural growth and economic development in all three regions in the state.
Sagar said, "The NC has protected the state's interests for the last eight decades against all odds. We relinquished power when others clung to it. We have always upheld the regional aspirations of our people by seeking the complete restoration of Article 370 to its original form."
He stated that chief minister and NC chief Omar Abdullah had emerged as a visionary leader of this generation, who broke new ground in areas of power generation, healthcare, tourism, rural and urban development.
"Omar Abdullah has achieved what no other previous government has achieved in the area of power generation. This government has added 1500 megawatts to the state's hydro-electric power portfolio and has laid the edifice for generating 9,000 megawatts of power in the next five to nine years. The most remarkable feature of this feat is that all of this was done without a single allegation or shadow of corruption and bribery", he said.
The NC general secretary added, "When the NC came to power, the state's private sector was left in tatters by the PDP due to their lackadaisical attitude towards license raj and anti-business regulations. We encouraged investment in the private sector by liberalising laws and drafting policies that created thousands of jobs in sectors such as retail, tourism, industry, trade and manufacturing. More industrial units, entrepreneurial establishments, hotels, restaurants and workshops have come up during the tenure of this government than in the combined tenures of all previous governments. This speaks volumes about how the NC under Omar Abdullah's leadership has ushered the state into an era of growth and self-reliance."
{{/usCountry}}The NC general secretary added, "When the NC came to power, the state's private sector was left in tatters by the PDP due to their lackadaisical attitude towards license raj and anti-business regulations. We encouraged investment in the private sector by liberalising laws and drafting policies that created thousands of jobs in sectors such as retail, tourism, industry, trade and manufacturing. More industrial units, entrepreneurial establishments, hotels, restaurants and workshops have come up during the tenure of this government than in the combined tenures of all previous governments. This speaks volumes about how the NC under Omar Abdullah's leadership has ushered the state into an era of growth and self-reliance."
{{/usCountry}}Transparency in governance
While addressing party workers in Jammu, NC leader Jagjeevan Lal, the party candidate from Reasi constituency, said Omar Abdullah had ensured transparency and accountability in governance by introducing the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act and Jammu and Kashmir Public Guarantee Service Act.
He added that the government had also focused on uplifting the economically backward sections of the society through various schemes. "The weaker sections of the society are the real strength of the NC. They have played a key role in strengthening the party at the grassroots-level across the state, particularly in the Jammu region," he said.