Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar June 15: The Opposition leader and former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, today accused Government of using illegal means in Anantnag Assembly segment to facilitate Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s win.
Speaking to reporters at party headquarters here, Omar said: “The Government is using all illegal means to win this seat. We are working in a legal manner to win the elections and God willing, if God helps us and the people of Anan-tnag support us, then we will win this seat.”
The NC leader accused Government of diverting sugar and timber to poll bound Anantnag where from Mehbooba Mufti is contesting. “Where the other parts of the State are facing shortage of ration, we are hearing that Anantnag is filled with ration. The sugar quota of the whole State has been taken there. While the timber depots elsewhere are empty, there is perhaps no depot in that constituency which is empty. Other means are being used be it macadamization or some other rumours which I do not want to say here”, he said.
Omar said that Mehbooba is taking the people for granted in Anantnag. “We have the same candidate as in the last elections. Fortunately, while after winning elections, Mufti Sayeed was not seen there, our candidate was there only. Now, in this election, the Chief Minister has only gone there once and that too for a party function. What will that candidate do after the election, who feels too proud to go there and seek votes?”, he added.
Omar said that it is no hidden thing that the security situation is bad in the State due to frequent attacks. “It is not a hidden thing that the situation is bad. It is not a small issue that there have been continuous attacks along the national highway and it should not be taken lightly. Attack in Anantnag, on national highway, then an attack on the other side of the tunnel in Kud, then the continuous infiltration attempts, it is obvious that attempts are being made to vitiate the atmosphere and we have not seen the right response from the government till yet”, he added
Omar said that election boycott call of separatists is nothing new and people have ignored it in the past and this time too they will ignore it. “It is nothing new. Tell me which election was there since 1996 in which there was no boycott call,” he added. “To what extent this call will have an impact in Anantnag, has to be seen. But I hope that people come out and participate in large numbers because there is a great degree of resentment against this PDP-BJP alliance and I hope that reflects in the voting when it takes place. In most areas these calls have been ignored, in some areas these had an impact. More often do we see that these calls have an impact in the urban parts of the Valley. Let’s see what happens in this election”, he added.