PDP, Congress, two sides of same coin: Omar

Srinagar, Aug 22 (UNI) National Conference (NC) chief Omar Abdullah has described the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as two faces of the same coin and said their differences were stage-managed to add to the prevailing confusion in the state.

He alleged that the ruling coalition had unsuccessfully used the discontent of masses to strengthen their privileged position by exploiting the sentiments of the people through hollow slogans.

''Our party has for the first time in contemporary history developed good relations with both India and Pakistan and we are no longer dubbed as agents of one or other country,'' Mr Abdullah said.

He said the NC had contributed a lot in building pressure on both the countries to look for more durable solutions to their problems.

''There is no military solution to the Kashmir problem. A durable, purposeful and institutionalised dialogue process internally and externally could go a long way in addressing the concerns of the parties concerned,'' the NC president said here.

Mr Abdullah said the demand for autonomy was a legitimate right of the people guaranteed under constitution. The demand was based on the very principal of co-existence and communal harmony, he added.

''Seeing the plight of the people, one cannot not hope for much justice from the present political arrangement where fulfillment came to very few among the needy,'' the NC chief said.

He said basic amenities were not available to the people, huge armies of unemployed youth felt betrayed, development of infrastructure was completely halted and the capital city was transformed into a garbage dump.

Mr Abdullah said Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad himself had admitted that out of Rs 5000 crore received from the Centre this year for development of infrastructure, only Rs 100 crore was spent due to the fear of massive corruption.

The claims of work culture and double shift proved hoax and transfers and postings were means of recurring income through corrupt practices, he added.

UNI