Azad Slams anti-development leaders

Srinagar, Apr 10 (UNI) Lashing out at political leaders who wanted the atmosphere of violence to continue in the Jammu and Kashmir for their personal gains at the cost of the common man, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said these people representing only one per cent of the population had engaged themselves full time in distorting facts and presenting a negative picture of the state.

Without naming any leader or party, Mr Azad asked them to shut down their anti-people firms as the masses in the state had seen through their game plan and were in no mood to be hoodwinked anymore.

He warned people against these political leaders and their pen-wielding supporters who waned the atmosphere of violence and killings in Jammu and Kashmir to perpetuate so that they could grind their own axe.

Addressing a public meeting after launching the Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign at Ganderbal, the Chief Minister termed this minuscule minority as enemies of development and people of the state.

He asked the people to watch against their activities and negative writings that their pen-wielding supporters contribute to newspapers.

All this, he said, was aimed at depriving people of the fruits of development and keep alive an atmosphere of insecurity so that the offers of the few brimmed while the people at large were made to suffer.

The Chief Minister said there were some political parties and their leaders who did not want hospitals, schools, roads, colleges, universities and other public utility infrastructure to be constructed in the state because development goes against their agenda of continuation of violence and destruction.

The atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity makes their vocation of amassing wealth a brisk business while the massive development activities going on across the state was sure to close down their shops, he said and asked these people to shut down their anti-people firms.

Mr Azad asked people to see for themselves who had benefited from the situation the state was thrown into two decades ago.

He said labourers, teachers, shopkeepers and other people who form the majority of the population continued to have a hand-to- mouth living while some people amassed wealth and constructed palatial houses.

Everybody knew where they get the money, he said adding he did not want to open the pandora's Box but at the same time warned them against continuing with their anti-people activities.

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