‘I will not play with sentiments to win elections’

Srinagar: Declaring that he will not rake up emotive issues like “freedom”, “autonomy” or “self-rule”, former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday said he will only talk about issues which can be achieved.
“I am not like those leaders that I will play with your sentiments to win elections,” he said addressing a public meeting at Dak Bungalow in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Azad said there are two ways to become a leader — one by raking up emotive slogans and the other by talking only about those issues which are under one’s control.
“I will say you will get freedom. But, you will not get it. Have you got it from the last 75 years? I will say you will get autonomy (NC’s plank) or the self-rule (PDP’s plank). Many elections were fought on these slogans, you have experienced, but there have been no results. Instead, they have only added to the death count. So, why should I raise such slogans,” the veteran leader said.
Azad said if some people were promising the return of Article 370 — which was scrapped by the Centre in August 2019 — “let them”, but he will not guarantee people something over which he has no control.
“What happened to the previous promises those people made?…I can promise you development. I will ensure you have a dignified life. I promise you that no policeman or Army man will knock the doors of the houses of my Gujjar-Bakerwal or Kashmiri brothers in the dead of the night.
“I promise you that the children of poor or even rich people will not be jailed and sent to Kathua or any other jail in the country for money. I promise you that no one will disrespect our sisters and daughters,” he said.
The former chief minister also promised that there will not be “fake” encounters.
He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised on the floor of Parliament that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood will be restored.
“Once the statehood is restored, I can also guarantee land and job rights in J-K will be given only to the people of J-K,” Azad said, adding “I cannot give you those guarantees which are not in my hand”.
Pointing to J&K’s tourism potential and the employment the sector can generate, he said he has “experience and many schemes in mind” which can bring two crore tourists to the every year.
“These things can be done as I have done it in the past,” he added.

Reader correspondent