With Assembly elections due by the year end, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today appealed to the people of the Valley to make use of their power to vote as it helps in development while stating that "boycott politics" of separatists has not achieved anything.
"I am not going to tell you who you should vote for but please make use of your right to vote as it helps in development process.It is because of the votes in 2008 that we have been able to achieve so much in the past five and half years," he said in his Independence Day speech at Bakshi Stadium here.
The Chief Minister said there will be people who will urge you not to vote as they claim that it affects the resolution of Kashmir issue.
"What has the boycott of elections achieved in the past 25 years? Jammu votes in numbers, Ladakh votes in numbers but not Kashmir," he said, adding that "boycott politics of separatists over 25 years has not achieved anything".
Omar said the 2008 Assembly elections were not contested for resolution of Kashmir issue but only to improve basic amenities like electricity, water supply, education and healthcare.
The Chief Minister presented an overview of the major achievements of his government during the last nearly six years, saying main sectors of roads, water supply, power, education and health received focused attention.
He also referred to the growth and improvement registered in agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors.
Omar mentioned the enactment of RTI and Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA) as historic steps for empowerment of people.
He said these measures along with e-purchasing, e-tendering, third party monitoring, constitution of Vigilance Commission and Re-constitution of Accountability Commission have strengthened institutions and empowered people to curb corruption.
