Srinagar: National Conference (NC) President and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah Saturday said that some of its leaders having quit the party of late should not lead to “discouragement and dejection” among the party workers but make them more united.
Addressing party workers of Kashmir province after senior NC leader Nasir Aslam Wani was re-elected as NC’s provincial president for the third consecutive term at the party’s Nawa-e-Subha headquarters here, Abdullah said, “If someone leaves the party, it should not bother us and we should not be dejected. We need to have an attitude of looking ahead and working together.”
He said that there was an important need for the NC cadre to “convey the objective and agenda of the party among the common masses”.
“The women workers especially need to convey the message of the party to our sisters and daughters across Kashmir,” Abdullah said.
The three-time chief minister described the current day-to-day situation especially with “regard to political affairs and governance” as a “storm” adding that the party leadership and workers would have to “face it with strength”. “There are always rumours and gossip here and there about people leaving the party which we need not trust,” he said. Abdullah said that if an individual had “full faith in the party, that person will have the instinct to stay with the party during the good and bad times”.
Without naming any political party, he alleged that there were efforts made to “buy NC workers”. “We won’t allow such forces to be successful and will work together and be united,” Abdullah said.
Earlier, NC leader Nasir Aslam Wani was re-elected as NC’s provincial president, Kashmir and Rattan Lal Gupta was elected provincial president, Jammu after Devender Rana quit NC to join the BJP.