"Urge INDIA bloc, PDP, other parties to unite and not form govt till we achieve statehood": Engineer Rashid

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], October 7 : Awami Ittehad Party Chief and Baramulla MP, Engineer Rashid said on Monday urged the INDIA bloc, People's Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties to unite and not form the government in Jammu and Kashmir till it achieve statehood.
Rashid asserted that his party is ready to give its support on this matter.
"Whatever government that will be formed will be the government of the Union territory. The elected government will have very few rights. The so-called regional parties of J&K (Gupkar alliance) didn't do anything for five years. I urge the INDIA bloc, PDP, Apni party and other parties to unite and not form the government till we achieve statehood. Even if a single party or alliance achieves a majority, it will be good if all the parties put pressure on the Union government to restore statehood. Awami Ittehad Party is also ready to cooperate with the parties on this matte," he said while addressing a press conference here.
Further, he demanded that historic 'Darbar Move' should be reinstated so that the bond between the people in the Union Territory strengthens.
"When the government is formed, will its capital be Srinagar or Jammu? The Darbar Move was a good tradition that acted as a bonding mechanism between the two regions, fostering cultural and emotional connection. Simply saying that a few crores of our money were spent on it doesn't seem like a valid argument to me. When I went to the secretariat, I saw that people's work suffers. My request is that before forming the new government, the tradition of the Darbar Move should be reinstated so that the bond between the people of Jammu and Kashmir strengthens," the Baramulla MP said.
Darbar Move was a name given to the bi-annual shift of the secretariat and all other government offices of Jammu and Kashmir from one capital city to another. From May to October, governmental offices were housed in the summer capital, Srinagar, and the other six months in its winter capital, Jammu.
Meanwhile, the security has been heightened in the Union Territory following the counting day on October 8.
Udhampur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amod Ashok Nagpure on Sunday said that a three-tier security system has been implemented at the counting venues in the Union Territory.
Jammu and Kashmir voted in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1.
The Exit Polls have predicted a slight edge for the National Conference-Congress and the BJP tailgating the opposition.
The National Conference (NC) and the Congress have formed an alliance for these elections, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are among the other major contenders.