Democratic Azad party leader Anayatullah Rather joins Congress

Jammu and Kashmir pradesh Congress committee chief Vikar Rasool Wani on Monday questioned the “mysterious silence of the Modi government over the startling revelations of the then governor of Jammu and Kashmir, a close aide of Prime Minister Modi, Satyapal Malik over the Pulwama attack and the issues of corruptions”.

On the occasion he also welcomed Anyatullah Rather, a prominent leader and founder member of the Azad-led Democratic Progressive Azad Party, who is also the DDC member from Fristal in Kulgam district, into the Congress party.

Addressing a press conference here Wani said the issues raised by Malik can’t be brushed aside or put under the carpet as this is a question of national security, besides putting the lives of 2,500 jawans at risk, of which 40 were martyred. “He (Malik) was asked to keep quite over the issue of failure of the government to ensure their safety and the serious security lapses in protecting their convoy and unfortunately nobody answered the questions raised by Malik. This is a serious matter besides, matter of huge corruption has also been raised by him,” added Wani.

He also strongly condemned the attack on Army truck in Mendhar area of Poonch and expressed deep shock over the loss of lives of the Army jawans.

Wani expressed concern over the attack despite high alert.

Wani said the biggest gift to the people after attaining freedom, was the introduction of the 73rd and 74th amendment of the Constitution by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, which gave Constitutional status to the panchayats and urban bodies besides ensuring 33% reservation to the women and proportional representation to the SCs and STs in the three-tier panchayat raj system in the country. Earlier, he said a fully empowered three tier Panchayati Raj system was the most revolutionary step of the Congress party under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi in the history of the Indian democracy.