Cong, PC Engage In Verbal Duel Ahead Of Mayor, Deputy Mayor Polls

SRINAGAR — The Congress and People’s Conference (PC) engaged in a war of words ahead of the elections for the office of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Srinagar.

The Congress party Saturday launched a fresh attack on the People’s Conference (PC) saying that “ it is the right time for the secular minded people to ensure defeat of BJP-RSS backed Mayor, Deputy Mayor candidates fielded by PC in the upcoming elections in Srinagar Municipal Corporation.” A state congress spokesperson said, “the elections are a direct contest between Congress led secular front and BJP-RSS combine.”

This came a day after former National Conference spokesperson, Junaid Azim Mattu, Friday filed nomination papers for the post of Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation as the candidate of Peoples Conference.

Senior PC Leader Irfan Ansari earlier said the party is “confident that it will win the race for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor.”  About the Congress state president, G A Mir’s statement on Friday that the Mayoral election is a contest between secularism and communalism, Irfan Ansari said, “I am at loss to understand how Junaid Mattu is identified as communal by Congress. Is he not a Muslim or does being a Muslim who challenges the established political hegemony make him communal? We believe in delivering change and serving the people and will provide an alternative to political monopoly of the tried and tested permutations and combinations.”

 “We also didn’t know that lanes, roads, development and progress fell into the ambit of communalism or that yearning for development of Srinagar city falls into the ambit of communalism for the Congress. These so-called secularists who have presided over the worst communal carnages in the country should stop sermonizing.”

 “It is the Congress party that plunged the State into violence, chaos and anarchy by rigging the elections of 1987 and before that by being the masters of constitutional erosions in Jammu and Kashmir. All harm inflicted on the State’s special status and on Article 370 has been carried out systematically by the Congress Party. They are the script-writers of all draconian laws that were used in J&K including POTA and TADA. It is a fact that the maximum number of killings of civilians and disappearances of youth happened during the tenures of successive Congress governments at the Centre,” said Yaseen.

Commenting on the upcoming election to Mayor and Deputy  Mayor scheduled to be held on 6 November, a congress spokesperson said that the “election is direct contest between Congress led secular font and BJP RSS, which are hell bent upon to grab power in SMC Srinagar.”

“Right time for the Corporators of Srinagar to ensure the defeat of BJP RSS, which are desperate enough to take control of Srinagar Municipal Corporation with the support of PC,” said a congress spokesperson, while exuding confidence that the Congress led secular front “will win the elections with an overwhelming majority ensuring that communal forces are defeated.”

“The upcoming elections in Srinagar Corporation (Municipal) has also provided an opportunity to right thinking and secular elected members to come forward & forge a unity against the communal and fascist forces. Defeating the PC candidates amounts to defeating BJP RSS and time has come to defeat the divisive politics in the country as well as in the state on the part of BJP and RSS,” added the congress spokesperson.

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