THE Jammu & Kashmir People’s United Front (JKPUF), a recently formed umbrella organisation of several political groups, organised its second convention in Jammu on Sunday, January 19, 2014. The well attended convention was held at Kathua, where the front leaders addressed the workers of the area. Explaining the aims and objectives of the front, Mohammd Yousuf Tarigami, the convener of the JKPUF, highlighted the acute problems and miserable conditions being faced by the people of the state. He exhorted the people to come out of slumber and prepare themselves for a relentless, protracted and result oriented struggle. There is no room for illusions and the people have to prepare for united struggles, he stressed. Highlighting the problems of the people and the insensitive approach of the government, Tarigami said that the political parties, which have been ruling the state for decades, are creating mere illusions and selling dreams for electoral gains instead of taking concrete measures to mitigate the sufferings of the masses and provide good governance. He appealed to the people to shun all such illusions and launch a united and protracted struggle on their issues. Tarigami made it clear that the present grim scenario, which has compelled the majority to live a subhuman life is rooted in the politico-economic framework of today, which has been created and perpetuated by the exploiting classes. The way out is in shattering this framework and distancing from the forces which try to hoodwink the people when the elections come closer. He also warned against the forces which feed on divisive and communal tendencies or on regional and parochial mindsets. He asked the people to ponder over the fact as to who gained from the divisive and communal politics till now. “None but the advocates of this kind of politics,” he asserted. Tarigami advocated unity and said that a regional or communal approach would only weaken the people’s common struggle against misgovernance and exploitation. Tarigami advocated an alternative policy route that ensures basic rights and does not rely on charity. He also demanded food security, fool proof health care, right to employment, adequate unemployment allowance and  welfare schemes for senior citizens and differently abled persons. Sheikh Abdur-Rehman, former MP and state president of the Samajwadi Party, appealed the conscientious and well meaning people of the state to join the ranks of the People’s United Front. He highlighted the issues of unemployment, price rise and food security. He criticised the government for its dismal performance and alleged that the present dispensation has failed to fulfil its promises and has, instead, taken anti-people measures for the benefit of a privileged few. It has ignored the socially backward groups and hilly backward areas, while taking up developmental plans. The state resources, especially the water resources, have not been fully harnessed, he asserted. Not only this, the government has not been able to get compensation from the centre for the losses it suffers due to Indus water treaty. Sheikh Abdur-Rahman exhorted the weaker sections and toiling masses  to fight against exploitation under the banner of the People’s United Front. I D Khajouria, state chief of the International Democratic Party, attacked the government for perpetuating corruption and making it a way of life rather than weeding it out. He said despite the tall claims of progress and development, the plight of the under-privileged, the farmers and workers remains miserable. The government is trying the age old machination of dividing the people in the name of religion, region and caste, simply to deceive them and keep them away from the path of united struggle. He expressed the hope that the masses would understand these nefarious designs of the exploiting classes and defeat them by forging unity and sustained struggles. The convention resolved to approach all those who want basic changes and alternative policies for improving the lot of the common people. Political outfits, intellectuals and civil society groups were asked to come forward and join the People’s United Front for a better future of the state. Those who also addressed the convention included CPI(M) leader Sham Prasad Kesar, PDF leader Ishtiyaq Qadri and IDP leader Smt Santosh Khajouria.