Srinagar City Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu Thursday said that any attempts to destabilize Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and undermine democratic processes and bullying of democratic institutions will be fought and fought hard.
Mattu was addressing a press conference here in Kashmir capital Srinagar.
Pertinently, some National Conference and BJP Corporators have been leveling various allegations against the Mayor. In this backdrop, while speaking to reporters, Mattu said that PDP and the Peoples Conference openly forged an alliance with BJP but NC is involved in deals with BJP secretly. “If NC wants to ally with BJP, let it declare it in the open, I promise, I along with Sheikh Imran and others will expose these NC leaders. I have proofs and when those will be made public, 3 to 4 NC leaders won’t contest elections.”
He added: “After doing 5 to 6 months of exercise we have received horrendous, terrible and horrible proofs against these NC leaders and their sons that they will hide their faces in shame and they know we are in possession of these horrendous proofs.”
Junaid Azim Mattu as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said that it is unfortunate that national leaders still get misled by regional political leaders.
“Should the idea of India and democracy be tarnished and blackmailed because of people who are out in the open to resort to malpractices,” he questioned.
Mattu said that allegations were levelled that only one part of the city has been macadamized. “It is a baseless allegation. Out of Rs 120 Crore, we did a macadamization of Rs 40 Crore. The reality is that the entire city can’t be covered in one year. It will be covered next year.”
“I am being accused of blacktopping the roads in Green Belt areas. Are Ishbar and Nishat not Green Belt areas? Do people there don’t need roads? I as a Mayor want to ask Prime Minister Modi that am I also supposed to repair the roads of the Khanyar and Habakadal areas.
Notably, both Khanyar and Habakdal areas had been represented by the National Conference leaders in the past.
He claimed that they enjoy the support of 62 Corporators while his opponents are coming in public just to blackmail them and they won’t succeed.
Junaid Azim Mattu said that over Rs one Crore was found in the salary account of the incumbent Deputy Mayor by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. “Despite proof and investigation from police no action has been initiated,” he said.
It is worth mentioning here that some days ago there were rumours that NC with the help of BJP are planning to unseat the Srinagar Mayor. Corporators affiliated with these parties held various news conferences levelling multiple allegations against the Mayor and his supporters._[KNT]