Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 14: Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said ruling PDP leaders were “overtly campaigning” for BJP candidates in Ladakh ahead of the hill council polls, despite the “political suppression of the State” by the national party.
“Today PDP is campaigning more for BJP than its own candidates here. Almost all their Ministers are here and their only appeal to the people is to vote for anyone but not NC. They are overtly campaigning for BJP candidates despite the political suppression of the State and the sentiments of its people by BJP,” Omar said addressing public meetings and workers conventions in Leh.
Omar, the working president of opposition National Conference (NC), said PDP leaders campaigning for BJP candidates in Ladakh ahead of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC ) elections was “yet another eye-opener that has yet again revealed the total and complete political assimilation of PDP into BJP”.
“Both the parties are afraid of the NC because we will never allow them to divide the State on religious lines. We know their designs and we will never let them succeed in dividing this State and polarizing its people for their petty political ambitions,” the NC working president said.
Omar said he had never done politics on religious lines and had always been forthcoming in ensuring Ladakh’s equitable development and growth at par with other regions of the State.
“I have always been with you and have always been very keen in developing this region and helping the people here and will continue to ensure the development of all regions of the State. Even when tragedy (cloudburst) struck in 2010, I was the first one to land here with my team and ensured the victims are rehabilitated and helped as and where they needed.
“We laid an unprecedented, special emphasis to develop tourism infrastructure here since the laying of heavy industries and manufacturing businesses is not feasible in this region due to the topography and climatic conditions.
“Tourism is the main resource that Ladakh can greatly benefit from and we ensured during our tenure that the region exploits its tourism potential to the maximum,” he said.
He alleged the PDP-BJP Government had brought the development of Ladakh to a “standstill because of a clear lack of political will” to develop this region at par with the rest of the State.
“Almost all developmental projects started by the previous NC-led Government have been halted causing great inconvenience to the masses. The Government has even gone to the extent of stopping work on the important bridge here sanctioned under STF. The complete and total failure of this Government is now beyond any doubt,” Omar said.
The NC working president said he was overwhelmed by the response of the masses to the party reviving its units in Leh after 12 years and said the party would rebuild its grassroots present in the entire region and work hand-in-hand with the people of Leh and Ladakh to fulfill their expectation and needs.
He rued the “silence” of the Government over the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and asked it to clarify why the Yatra could not be conducted through Ladakh.
“What’s the benefit of the Indo-China friendship to our people in Ladakh? How have their lives improved? Mere rhetoric cannot be a substitute for development and growth”, the NC working president said.
He asked the people to vote in large numbers for the NC candidates in the upcoming polls so that the development of the region could resume without any hindrances and petty, divisive political obstructions.
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