Dr Farooq, Altaf Bukhari address gatherings in Khanyar, Habba Kadal
Srinagar, May 4: After decades, Srinagar City has once again resonated with the pro-elections slogans as the twin political parties addressed the gatherings on Saturday ahead of the Lok Sabha for Srinagar seat, which is scheduled to be held on May 13, 2024.
National Conference (NC) President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Dr Farooq Abdullah and Apni Party President Syed Altaf Bukhari addressed two separate gatherings in Khanyar and Habba Kadal areas of Srinagar City in which a large number of people participated.
However, unlike the previous years, the situation was quite favourable for the political rallies in these areas as both the functions passed off peacefully.
Dr Farooq Abdullah while addressing the gathering, asked the people to check whether the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are functioning properly while casting the ballots. “You need to check properly whether the machine is showing the lights while pressing the buttons,” he told the people.
Furthermore, he added that the August 05, 2019 decision is not acceptable to them and that “the centre has been trying their best to suppress us since 1947, but in this election, the people should show them that we are not slaves but the owners of this land.”
He also cautioned the public about the tactics of the agents outside the polling booths, asking them not to fall prey to their tactics.
Syed Altaf Bukhari however, stated that he is happy to have organized the programme here where scores of people joined his party, but at the same time expressed his heartfelt sympathies with the people residing in the city, saying that most of the population here lives under difficult circumstances, lacking adequate housing, financial resources, and job opportunities.
“It pains me to see that most of the population in downtown Srinagar endures challenging conditions marked by inadequate housing, financial constraints, and a lack of employment opportunities. I know that they have been pushed into this situation over the years and decades by the traditional political parties and their leaders, who kept the people of the city busy with conflicts like Sher-Bakra, India-Pakistan, and so on, only to gain their own political advantages out of these conflicts.”
“The educated young boys and girls from the city are grappling with the lack of employment opportunities, as they neither have avenues for doing businesses nor do they fall into any reserved category to benefit from the government job markets. Many of these boys and girls have surpassed their marriageable age, either because they do not have proper avenues for earning or they lack adequate housing to raise a family,” he added.
Talking about the glorious past of downtown Srinagar, Bukhari said, “This historic city has been an epicentre of rich culture and civilisation for centuries. Moreover, this city has been the abode of the masters of different traditional crafts and skills. It is only due to political apathy, misleading narratives, and misrepresentations that the present generation finds itself grappling with challenges and dilemmas.”
However, Bukhari promised that when the Apni Party gets a public mandate to serve, it would not only create employment opportunities and modernized housing in Shere-e-Khas but would also undertake the task of restoring the ancient glory of this historic city.
