Srinagar, 30 Mar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Monday launched a sharp attack on the People’s Democratic Party, terming its protests against the Rajbagh–Sangarmal flyover as “fabricated outrage”.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters Nawa-e-Subha, State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the PDP has reduced itself to a cycle of theatrics, misinformation and staged dissent in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.
Imran underscored that the Rajbagh–Sangarmal flyover is not merely a construction project but a critical urban intervention aimed at easing traffic congestion and improving connectivity in Srinagar. He questioned the logic of opposing such a project, saying that when development becomes discomforting, it often exposes deeper political insecurities.
Recalling the project’s origins, Imran noted that it was first conceived in 2011 under a National Conference-led government.
Despite attempts by certain vested-interest groups to stall it through legal means, the court dismissed their petition and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000, observing that the challenge lacked genuine public cause.
He further pointed out that the project’s trajectory was altered during the PDP–BJP alliance, when the proposed flyover was scaled down to a footbridge, a move he described as “a telling metaphor for shrinking vision.”
Reaffirming the party’s developmental commitment, Imran said the National Conference had promised to restore the project to its original vision,a promise now fulfilled with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah approving it in a recent cabinet meeting.
While welcoming this as a long-overdue corrective step, Imran expressed concern that the same vested interests have resurfaced, this time with the PDP at the forefront. He remarked that opposition for relevance is easy; opposition with credibility is not.
He said that the public has not forgotten the political choices that enabled the BJP’s entry into power in the region, adding that those who scripted that chapter can scarcely claim to be custodians of public interest Monday.
