Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 14: Former Chief Minister and working president of opposition National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah today said that attack on Article 35A is due to his party being out of power as the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) led Government would not have dared to talk about Article 35 A or the Article 370.
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“We would not have even allowed them to talk about Article 35A, had we been in the power,” Omar said at Nawai Subhe headquarters of the party in Srinagar during a function.
The NC working president said some people don’t want that J&K should have its own flag or Constitution. “They don’t like when we take oath on our own Constitution. If there is an attack on Article 35 A, it is because NC has weakened. NC is out of power,” he said.
Omar said when NC was in full majority, the party passed a resolution seeking Autonomy for the State of J&K. “It created commotion in the corridors of Government of India. They started seeing NC as a threat. This gave birth to the PDP,” Omar said, adding, the autonomy resolution was the reason of the creation of PDP.
“We are losing our identity. No matter how many Government employees are in our house. No matter how strong our house will be. We are losing our identity,” he said.
“With the way things are going on in our State, it becomes more and more evident that Agenda of Alliance doesn’t exist at all. They promised to revoke AFSPA, get power projects back to State, facilitate talks with all stakeholders, ensure that both India and Pakistan start a dialogue process but nothing happened in that regard. This Government is turning out to be a monumental failure at every front. All in all this Government has let down everybody including those who voted them to power”, Omar said
“The whole politics of PDP BJP Government is based on lies. Before 2014 elections, PDP and its leadership asked for votes to stop the BJP onslaught but later joined hands with the same party to form Government. When Mehbooba Mufti took over the reigns of this Government, she went a step ahead and turned into a mute spectator while right wing forces continue to wage a relentless war on the State’s special status,” he said.
The NC working president asked party workers to start preparing for the next Assembly elections and strengthen the party at gross root levels, so that NC emerges as the single largest party. “If we emerge as the single largest party, then only we can work in a better way,” he said.
“Become MLAs first. Stop worrying about Ministries. Let NC win first then after we should care about the Ministries. We all have to start working hard for it. We have win and ensure the victory of our fellow colleagues from a next constituency,” Omar added.
Appealing youth to join NC, Omar said time has come when the youth should be allowed to settle in the party.
Omar recalled words of his grandfather Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah having told that Delhi wants to “create more and more divisions in Kashmir and create leaders in every Mohalla, so that the united voice of Kashmiris is suppressed. We are being divided into groups. Today we are seeing it. Every community and Mohalla has its own leader.”
Omar said in Baramulla this afternoon that the Centre should file an affidavit as was filed by the State Government in the Supreme Court on 35A.
“The issue of Article 35A came into public domain when I raised it in Assembly and warned the Government over it”, he said.
“The State Government had no advocate to plead the case in the SC and I told the Chief Minister about it and I campaigned on the issue. It is the NC that brought it into Public domain and NC will have important role in its safeguard”, he said.
Earlier, prominent political leader from Bandipora and Awami Ittihad Party general secretary Advocate Nazir Ahmed Malik today joined NC at party headquarters in front of Omar Abdullah and senior leaders of the party.
Advocate Nazir Ahmed Malik is a prominent political leader and was previously the general secretary of the Awami Itehad Party.
Welcoming Advocate Nazir Ahmed Malik and his supporters into the party fold, Omar congratulated Advocate Nazir Malik on joining the party and expressed hope in his commitment and dedication to serve the people and also strengthen the party at the grassroot level.
Speaking on the occasion, Malik said NC was a beacon of hope in an atmosphere of political opportunism and sell-outs that has engulfed the State and deprived its people of their dignity and rights. He said he would work tirelessly to strengthen the party at the grassroots level and take the vision and the mission of the party to every doorstep.
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