Farooq visits Jammu, sips tea at stall

Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 18

Mubarak Mandi, the heritage destination in the congested old Jammu city, on Tuesday received an unusual visitor, Farooq Abdullah, who also visited a popular tea stall in the thin marketplace to have tea and local snacks.

A huge crowd, including some Mata Vaishno Devi shrine-bound pilgrims, thronged the tea stall to have a glimpse of Farooq. They jostled with each other to interact and shake hands with him, who, keeping up his composure and warmth, met everyone, stood for selfies and waved to the crowd.

Incidentally, the tea stall has attained prominence for its unique identity of having large posters of Farooq Abdullah all around.

Farooq exchanged pleasantries with the tea stall owner, Ashok Kumar, who is his avid fan. The National Conference chief, sitting on a wooden bench along with party’s provincial president Devender Singh Rana and other party functionaries, called for tea and some snacks.

He also ordered tea for the entire staff and security personnel accompanying his cavalcade during his brief visit to the winter capital soon after his arrival from New Delhi. He took oath as a Member of Parliament on the opening day of the Budget session on Monday.

People greeted Farooq on his re-election to the Lok Sabha from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency in the just-concluded general election. While responding to the local issues raised by the people, especially the youth, Farooq said democratically elected government had no substitute, as it reflects the urges and aspirations of the people.

He said the problems were manifold which needed immediate attention that was possible only when the public representatives are put in place to have connected with the people at the grassroots level.

“In the process, I have been drawing the attention of the Governor’s administration towards problems of people in both rural and urban areas across the state for redressal on an immediate basis”, he said while listening to the problems of the people particularly regarding the power and drinking water supply.