Srinagar, Mar 31: Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, senior Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader on Sunday responded to Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone’s allegations against the NC, terming them as a “feeble attempt to obscure Lone's deep-rooted affiliations with the BJP and RSS”.

According to a statement issued by NC, Ramzan “unravelled the uncomfortable truths” surrounding Lone's familial legacy, tracing the bloodshed and turmoil in the valley to the People's Conference's creation of the armed wing militant outfit ‘Albarq’.

Addressing Lone's claims regarding security, Choudhary said there is a “stark disparity” in treatment between JKNC ministers and Sajad Lone. He said “extensive privileges” are being lavished upon Lone by the BJP. “Despite holding ministerial positions multiple times, JKNC ministers receive minimal security compared to the elaborate protection provided to Lone,” he said.

He said JKNC ministers have just one PSO, unlike the “full presence of law enforcement officers” involved in the election process at Lone's events. He accused Sajad of pre-election manoeuvring by exerting influence to place officers according to his whims.

Choudhary lamented the “irony of those who were killed, suffered losses, whose houses were burnt, whose families were forced to migrate, who were forcibly made to resign from JKNC, whose education was affected, and became victims of violence instigated by the so-called People's Conference, now being labelled as ‘white-collar killers’ by Sajad Lone”. He questioned the PC chief’s sincerity by asking how many times Lone raised the issue of missing persons in the assembly when he served as a minister in an “RSS-backed” government.

“Sajad Lone claims to champion the voice of Kashmiris in Parliament, but let him answer this: When did he speak for Kashmiris while serving as a minister in the assembly? His tenure was marked by mere gratitude to the BJP for a passport, a shameful reality he cannot deny,” the NC leader said.

Ramzan challenged Lone's purported concern for Kashmiris, questioning, “Why Lone did not resign from his ministerial position when people were being massacred, children shot with pellets and houses burnt down.” He criticised Sajad’s inaction during incidents like the lynching of a lecturer in 2016, saying Lone's ambition to become Chief Minister took precedence over the welfare of Kashmiris.

“In 2015, he himself became a minister under their quota," Chowdhary said. “How can he credibly oppose the BJP when he owes his position to them? People are no longer swayed by Lone's rhetoric; they discern between right and wrong.”

“It was Sajad Lone who paved the way for RSS in Kashmir. He was the one who asserted that RSS has every right to operate in Kashmir. This blatant endorsement of RSS by Lone exposes his true loyalties and undermines any pretence of opposition to the BJP,” he added.

“The era of deceit and manipulation in Kashmir politics, epitomised by Lone and his cohorts, is rapidly drawing to a close. The people of Kashmir are no longer susceptible to their schemes and falsehoods, heralding an imminent shift away from their treacherous web of deceit,” Choudhary Ramzan said.