Aadil Nazir
Sopore, Oct 31: Amid speculation over internal differences within the National Conference following the recent Cabinet reshuffle, party leader and former Sopore Municipal Council president Masrat Rasool Kar on Saturday said the party’s youth cadre remained firmly behind its leadership, asserting that a convention in north Kashmir was intended to counter the perception that the organisation was losing its support base.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the party’s North Zone Youth Convention at Dak Bungalow in Sopore, Masrat Rasool Kar said the gathering brought together youth functionaries from three districts and was organised to demonstrate that the party continued to enjoy the support of its grassroots workers.
“The convention was meant to respond to those who say that the National Conference is broken or scattered. You can see how many young people are still associated with the party. Our workers have complete faith in their leadership and stand by its decisions,” she said.
Rejecting suggestions that the party was losing its youth base in north Kashmir, Kar said she did not believe young workers had deserted the organisation or joined the BJP.
“Our youth are with us. They are our strength. They have complete confidence in their leadership and want to move forward with the party,” she said.
Her remarks come amid speculation over discontent within the ruling party following Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s recent expansion of the Council of Ministers, in which four legislators were inducted and some existing ministers were dropped. The reshuffle had triggered questions over political representation and possible resentment among sections of the party.
Several NC leaders have since dismissed reports of a rebellion, describing any grievances as an internal matter that could be addressed within the organisation.
Masrat Rasool Kar said the Sopore convention had also conveyed a message of support to the party leadership, including Omar Abdullah. She added that similar conventions would be organised in south and central Kashmir to bring more young workers into the party’s activities.
Reiterating the party’s political position, she said the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference remained the platform through which the Jammu and Kashmir issue could be resolved.
