People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker Waheed Parra today said that the party supported the ruling National Conference (NC) in the Rajya Sabha elections, citing “larger interests” of Jammu and Kashmir and specific commitments secured from the NC leadership.
Parra said PDP had secured commitments from NC to support two key bills: the PDP land bill and the regularisation of daily wage earners.
“First, we sought backing for our land bill, aimed at granting ownership rights to individuals holding Ghascharai, Shyamlatal, Nuzul, or leased lands—lands that people currently use but do not fully own. We have taken a commitment from NC to help us pass this bill. In return, we supported them in this election,” Parra told reporters in Srinagar before casting his vote in Rajya Sabha polls.
The second issue concerns daily wage earners, casual laborers, and contractual workers. “Approximately one lakh people are concerned about their wages. PDP has introduced a bill to address these concerns, and we hope it will be passed with support from NC,” he said.
Parra emphasized that the move to support NC was strategic, aimed at countering the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the region.
On his bill, which seeks the restoration of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board and transferring its custodianship to the Muttahid-e-Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) getting dropped from Assembly proceedings, Parra said Muslim institutions should be managed by Muslim leaders.
“Muslims from across the country have expressed their displeasure over the Waqf bill. Our demand is that Muslim institutions, whether mosques or other religious bodies, should be managed by Muslim leaders,” he added.
