Am not after power, want to change destiny of J&K: Mufti

Jammu: Under constant criticism for joining hands with BJP, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today insisted that he was not hankering for power but had taken the step to “put an end to uncertainty in the state” and change its destiny.

“Mufti does not have aspiration for power. This coalition, which I have formed, is not for power,” he said at a function here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“When I joined hands with BJP and when I say it is meeting of North and South pole, it is because I have a dream that the uncertainty will come to an end and a peaceful and conductive environment would be created in the state,” he said.

He was speaking at a function to commemorate the birth centenary of Congress leader Girdhari Lal Dogra, which was also attended by Governor N N Vohra, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Sayeed, who heads PDP and is running a coalition government with BJP since March, has been under constant attack by opponents who allege that he has compromised his ideology for the sake of alliance.

He said his government will take necessary steps to “change the destiny of J&K” and will try to “resolve contradictions”.

“I want to say that we will change the destiny of J&K.

Former PM V P Singh used to say ‘politics is an art of possibility of managing contradictions’. It is my dream that with the support of everybody, we will try and resolve contradictions,” he said.

The PDP leader noted that the integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country is of vital importance.

“It is my dream that we want to connect J&K with rest of the country, but we have not been able to connect Jammu with Kashmir. I want to promise to the people of J&K that we want to do justice and end the sense of discrimination in the state.

“We have done justice with all the three regions of J&K –Ladakh, Kashmir and Jammu during my 2002-2005 rule”, he said.

–PTI