‘Agencies caught off guard on my nomination from Budgam’
Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Sept 6: Former Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice president, Omar Abdullah, today alleged that the Centre was fielding Independent candidates against him in Assembly elections in a bid to silence him.
Omar told election rallies in the Ganderbal Assembly segment today that he never thought that New Delhi would go to that extent against him.
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“I always knew that Delhi would want to silence me in some way but I never thought that they would go to this extent. In Baramulla, when a person (Eng Rashid) stood against me in the polls, having filed the papers while in jail, he recorded his message from jail and sought votes based on emotions. He defeated me in the elections,” he said. He, however, said that he didn’t see it as something worrisome.
Omar said that individuals from jail are filing nominations against him, suggesting a possible conspiracy orchestrated by his rivals in New Delhi and its agencies aimed at undermining his chances in the upcoming Assembly elections.
The NC leader said he could understand Rashid contesting the Lok Sabha polls against him as he was a local from the constituency.
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Omar said that he always knew the leaders in New Delhi disliked him, but now he realizes they hate him. He also mentioned that he cannot understand why, in this entire scenario, only people from jail seem to have filed papers against him.
“Over the last two or three days, I have started to suspect something is fishy. I cannot understand why only people from jail seem to have filed papers against me. These are people who had nothing to do with this area, whose nominations were rejected last week. What kind of arrangement was made with them? One candidate dropped all other constituencies and decided to contest in Ganderbal. When I heard this, I consulted some colleagues and told them that I see a conspiracy here,” he said.
He alleged that his opponents in Delhi, along with their agencies, believed he might run in Beerwah since he had contested from there before. “They got a jailed prisoner to file papers in Ganderbal and rushed to Beerwah. But I had already prepared for Budgam,” he said.
Omar claimed that these Delhi agencies might be powerful but are not as clever as they think. “They were caught off guard. The poor candidate who prepared for Beerwah on their orders is now trapped there, while my papers were filed in Budgam. The final decision will be made by Allah and the people of Ganderbal,” he said.
He urged voters to evaluate candidates based on their past work. “You may say someone has come from outside, but ask yourselves: Did I work for you? Did you benefit when I was your representative? And what happened after I left? Major projects like the University Hospital and the Ganderbal Hydroelectric Project, which I had planned, came to a standstill. Even small issues have not been resolved by my successor,” he said.
He criticized the current administration for restricting local access to sand from the river and awarding construction contracts to outsiders. “When we visit Government offices, it is hard to find officials who understand our situation,” he said.
Omar also accused the administration of failing to provide adequate electricity. “They have set up power lines, but there is no electricity. When there is, the bills are sky-high. In my time, the monthly bill was Rs. 250 to 400. Today, in rural areas, it is no less than Rs. 1,650, even if someone earns only Rs. 1,500,” he said.
The NC leader said that rations have been cut to just five kilos, and essential items like oil and sugar have disappeared from ration shops. “Now, after installing digital electricity meters, they want to install water meters in every house, despite the lack of clean drinking water,” he added.
Omar expressed his party’s commitment to improving the region’s situation. “While I agree that the Assembly we are fighting for is not the one we deserve, I believe it can still be a step toward achieving the Assembly that is rightfully ours,” he said.
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