NC Leader’s Scam Accused Son Joins Peoples Conference

“Renowned entrepreneur, Mr Hilal Rather joins @JKPC_. Mr Hilal is a graduate of the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology & Science & joined the party in the presence of PC President Mr @sajadlone & other senior JKPC leaders.#CaravanOfChange,” Party wrote on its official twitter handle.

— J&K People’s Conference (@JKPC_) October 16, 2021

Asked if he had consulted his father and NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather on joining Lone’s party, Rather replied in the negative.

“I respect my father and he has been magnanimous in giving me space to take my own decisions. I have taken this decision on my own,” he said.

Hilal said he chose People’s Conference as he wanted to work for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir who have immensely suffered due to the ongoing conflict.

Asked why he did not join the National Conference, he said he did not want to do negative politics .

“I want to do positive politics,” he asserted.

While welcoming Hilal into the party, Lone said the People’s Conference has arrived.

“Let there be no delusions…There are many who refuse to see reality as it exists and want to create reality as they want to see it.

“We have come, we have arrived and we will conquer for the betterment of people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Lone added.

Hilal is facing the investigation by the CBI into the loan taken from the J&K Bank for his ambitious township project in 2012, when his father was the finance minister of the erstwhile state. The loan was allegedly sanctioned without submitting any collateral and the money was diverted from the bank account.

The account had turned a non-performing asset in 2017.

Earlier on Friday NC spokesman had tweeted: “Abdul Rahim Rather, party leader & former Finance Minister, strongly contradicts the rumors being circulated on some Social Media platforms about his resignation from JKNC and joining some other political party. The rumors are BASELESS and are far from reality.”

Abdul Rahim Rather, party leader & former Finance Minister, strongly contradicts the rumors being circulated on some Social Media platforms about his resignation from JKNC and joining some other political party. The rumors are BASELESS and are far from reality.

— JKNC (@JKNC_) October 14, 2021

The rumours of Rather senior leaving the party and joining Lone led PC came a few days after resignation of senior NC leaders Devender Rana and A S Salathia, who have now joined the BJP.  (With PTI Inputs)