NEW DELHI, March 2 � As newly sworn-in Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed�s statement crediting �people from across the border� for conduct of Assembly polls triggered a controversy, the Centre today maintained that it was the people of the state, security forces and Election Commission, whose efforts should be given the credit, reports PTI.
As questions were raised over Mufti�s remarks, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the people of the state, security forces and the Election Commission should be the ones who should get the credit for the polls.
�If someone asks us, we only have to say that it is the people of J&K, the Election Commission (EC) and the security forces, whether Central or state, who have with full zeal and enthusiasm, ensured the fulfilment of this vital democratic exercise,� Naqvi told reporters.
His words found an echo in BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao, who said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the security forces and the Election Commission are the ones who deserve credit for the smooth conduct of polls.
Soon after taking oath yesterday, Sayeed had said credit must be given to people from across the border, an oblique reference to Pakistan, Hurriyat and militant outfits, for �allowing conducive atmosphere� for Assembly polls.
�I want to say this on record and I have told this to the Prime Minister that the we must credit the Hurriyat, militant outfits for the conduct of assembly elections in the state,� Sayeed had said.
