Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 3: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today blamed Bharatiya Janta Party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, for inciting violence in Assam that left 32 Muslims dead.
“In Assam, 32 Muslims were murdered. Why? Because BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi made a speech there and tried to incite people against Muslims. This is a fact. This truth cannot be denied,” Omar told an election rally at Tangmarg in Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency today.
Omar said that Modi, in his election rally in Assam three days earlier, had branded all Muslims living in that State as “Bangladeshis”, which resulted in the attacks on them. “Three days earlier, he (Modi) went there and branded all Muslims as Bangladeshis and today 32 Muslims have been put to sleep in the grave,” he added.
Omar later told reporters on the sidelines of an election rally that he is pitching Rahul Gandhi as next Prime Minister of India as he is not scaring people to vote for him like Modi.
“By such strong communal overtones, you rush the risk of inflaming passions and it can’t be a coincidence that you run a campaign in that part of the country where you paint all the Muslims as Bangladeshi illegal emigrants and suddenly 20 Muslims are killed in unprovoked violence. There is a connection somewhere. You can’t lead this country by fear. You can’t lead this country by division and that is why we are keen to see somebody like Rahul Gandhi assume the office of Prime Minister because he is not trying to scare people into voting for him”, said Chief Minister.
Omar, in his speech, said that every vote polled in favour of the NC-Congress alliance candidate would be a vote in favour of Rahul Gandhi while all votes cast in favour of the PDP candidate would directly benefit BJP and Narendra Modi.
“You have to make an important decision and reject the forces who want to divide you based on their communal venom and world-view”, said Omar. “The dangerous quid-pro-quo political game played by PDP to help Narendra Modi with the hope that in return he will extend his blessings to the PDP leadership has to be foiled with full force and might”, he said.
Omar also accused the BJP of wanting to divide the State into three parts. He asked the electorate of Baramulla-Kupwara constituency to contribute collectively and en-masse in defeating the communal, anti-State, BJP-PDP nexus by voting for Sharif-ud-din Shariq.
Baramulla constituency along with Ladakh in the State will go to polls on May 7 and there is tri-angular contest in Baramulla between Shariq, PDP candidate Muzaffar Hussain Baig and People’s Conference candidate, Abdul Salam Bajad.
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