‘Modi effect is there but no wave’
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 4: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today that Jammu and Kashmir State is an integral part of India and that the Centre should consider and discuss different roadmaps of solution, which various stakeholders including the National Conference have mooted, to find out a solution to the Kashmir problem while reiterating that gun or violence were no solution.
Omar dropped enough hints that Assembly elections in the State would be held as scheduled in November-December next year and not advanced with Lok Sabha polls in April-May. He also indicated that the Government could go for setting up of more administrative units in the State after the Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, who was sitting with him, submits its report in the next few days.
Addressing a press conference at Civil Secretariat this morning on re-opening of Durbar Move offices in winter capital of the State, Omar said: “Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to India. If we acceded to India, are we not an integral part of India? Of course, we are’’. He denied that he had used words like “conditional” and “incomplete” regarding accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India and said the State is an integral part of the country.
“Please do not put your words in my mouth? I never used the word ‘conditional’ nor the word ‘incomplete’. I have not used such words. You pull out the Assembly record and see what I had said,” Omar said while countering the question of a reporter about his comments over accession of the State to India.
Omar, during an interaction with a delegation of ambassadors of European Union (EU) member nations, had reportedly said that while other States had merged with Union of India after accession, Jammu and Kashmir had only acceded to the Federation on four matters of currency, communication, foreign affairs and defence.
“Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India…It is a part of India, there is no two ways about that. There may be difference about how the State acceded to India as compared to other sides but that does not call into the accession into question,” he said.
Replying to a question on his recent interview to London based Telegraph in which he had reportedly suggested that Irish model could help resolve Kashmir problem, Omar said: “anyone’s solution cannot be implemented here suddenly. But we can learn from these processes, whether it is Israel-Palestine process or Ireland process or Scotland process or China model of governance in Tibet and Hong Kong. I said this for the reason that we want that instead of violence the solution should be found out through talks or dialogue.”
In an interview to Telegraph, the Chief Minister had said that a peace accord on the lines of Irish and Scotland model could be thought for Kashmir.
“For the solution of Jammu and Kashmir problem, separate model and proposals have been given out by several organisations, these proposal have come from Congress, BJP, NC, PDP and Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference and others.
“I can be wrong as Chief Minister to say that only one proposal should be implemented. Although my party has a stand on it. I repeatedly requested the Centre that the proposals should be analysed and which it feels is right should be implemented,” he said.
“My party has one stand (autonomy), my ally (Congress) has the other (Indira-Sheikh accord). Similarly PDP (self rule), BJP (abrogation of Article 370) and Sajjad Lone’s Vision Document are there. The Centre has to work out a solution. They have to decided on the roadmap, whichever they think is right and implement it,’’ he added.
Responding to a question about his “failure” to motivate the Centre to hold talks with separatists, Omar said, “I had been successful in motivating the Centre rather than separatists. If separatists’ intentions are true then they should be ready to talk to the Centre. But unfortunately separatists have been taking one step forward and two steps backward.
“It is easy to motivate the Centre, but it is difficult to motivate separatists. We cannot forcefully drag them to dialogue table, we can forcefully bat for it,” he said.
Replying to another question on restrictions imposed and lifted on hardliner Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Omar said: “it was an administrative decision which was taken earlier to check his movement and it is again administrative decision to let him go now. Beyond that nobody needs to read more into it.”
“My job as Chief Minister is to ensure conducive atmosphere. The intelligence agencies and police felt that on Fridays movement of Geelani could threaten peace that prevailed. We have seen his track records that wherever he went stone-pelting followed,” Omar said and added: ‘‘we have done this to ensure that there is no law and order problem. As the situation improved the law and order agencies felt that it is appropriate to let him go.”
“It is for the people to determine whether or not he (Geelani) is a leader. It is not for me to determine. His support base is also fluid. It depends upon situations…His support base grows during tension and during calm it reduces not disappears”.
Acknowledging that the “effect” of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the upcoming elections is inevitable, Omar, in response to a question, said the term “Modi wave” is a bit of an exaggeration.
“It would be wrong on our part to deny any influence of Modi in the elections. I cannot say there is Modi wave —there is effect of Modi,” he said.
“There is an effect of Modi— That effect may not be on the average voter but it is visible on cadres of BJP. What impact it will have on elections let us wait and watch,” the Chief Minister said.
On alliance with the UPA and whether his party will join the Third Front, Omar said, “I have nothing to do with Third Front. National Conference is committed constituent of UPA.”
In his opening remarks, Omar, who also happens to be working president of National Conference, dropped enough hints that the State would go for Assembly elections as scheduled in November-December 2014. The Congress, a coalition partner of the National Conference, had earlier indicated that the State could go for elections simultaneously along with Lok Sabha polls, which are to be held in April-May next year.
“This is for the last time that the present Government would be working in the winter capital for full six months. Next time when the Durbar opens here in first week of November, we will get only few days of work as it would be election time then,’’ he said.
He said the coalition Government would be completing five years of governance in the next couple of months. “Very few Governments have such a long “untroubled period’’ to serve the people. The promises we had made to the people have been fulfilled to quite an extent and we will try to fulfill in the next one year’’.
On the formation of the next Government in the State, Omar said: “we will fight elections to win it”.
“There is a fine line between being hopeful and arrogant,” he said, adding, “I do not take anyone for granted. We will fight both Parliament and Assembly polls to win them.”
He asserted that no one can take the voters for granted, who had to deliver final judgment on the elections. “We can only hope for positive elections of Parliament and Assembly’’.
Omar said the Government was working on establishment of more administrative units in the State to fulfill demands of the people and take Government to doorsteps of the people.
“We have set up the Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC) headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand to examine the issue of setting up of more administrative units. As soon as the report is received, we will set up more units,’’ he said. He promised a ‘people friendly budget’ for the next year.
Replying to another question on the Government holding Cabinet meetings in far flung areas of Tangdhar and Gurez earlier, Omar said: “let’s see how it goes here. The offices have opened. Now the Parliamentary elections are coming. There will be code of conduct. Our aim and efforts would be to take the Government to doorsteps of the people.’’
The Chief Minister asked Pakistan to respect the ceasefire, stating there is no alternative to talks.
“Our demand to Pakistan is that they should respect ceasefire and have faith in talks – the way others have kept faith in talks. There is no alternative,” he said.
Omar, who was responding to a volley of questions on the issue, said ceasefire violations can happen, but not on the scale that happened recently, especially after the talks at the recent flag meeting (between BSF and Rangers).
“After the ceasefire violations (that took place recently) that inflicted casualties, ceasefire is now holding,” he said.
To a question on compensation to the victims of recent firing and shelling, Omar said the Divisional Commissioner would talk to the Deputy Commissioners and assure compensation to the victims.
Regarding cross-border infiltration, Omar said it has never stopped.
“There are more infiltrations from Line of Control (LoC) than along International Border (IB),” he said, adding that it is likely to fall as the passes will close due to snowfall in the winter.
Asked about his views on Congress backing Election Commission’s suggestion to restrict publication and dissemination of opinion polls during elections, Omar said: “I have no opinion on what my allies feel—it is for them to form their own opinions.
“The day opinion polls are conducted in Jammu and Kashmir, I will form an opinion. Till then we are regional party, for us to form an opinion on polls in the rest of the country is not necessary for us,” the Chief Minister added.
Referring to the Communal Violence Bill, he said “NC has not thought over it… Once we decide our opinion on it, then it will go to Coordination Committee of coalition partners and if both parties think that this type of bill particularly for the State is important, then that can be brought.”
Follow our WhatsApp channel