Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 6: Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today lashed out at the PDP-BJP coalition, alleging the State was reeling under an “atmosphere of political uncertainty and chaos” as there was no sign of basic governance and stability.
“The State is reeling under an atmosphere of political uncertainty and chaos as there is no sign of basic governance and stability. Local youth are yet again choosing the path of militancy thanks to PDP’s brazen sell-out to the BJP. The same young men who were promised that PDP would keep BJP and RSS out of the State have been betrayed and stunned into a psychological trauma post PDP’s alliance with BJP,” Omar said.
The former Chief Minister was addressing his party workers in Pulwama and Budgam districts after launching a membership drive.
Omar said peace and stability in the State has been “wasted” by a Government that is “invested in dividing the people” of the State on the basis of region and religion.
“The Chief Minister (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) is completely clueless. He has maintained a conspicuous silence on all crucial issues and developments. At this pace we will soon be apprehensive about the situation returning to what it was in the early nineties. The hard earn peace and stability in the State has now been wasted by a Government that is clearly invested in dividing the people of J&K on the basis of region and religion,” he said.
The National Conference (NC) working president said Sayeed and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti have “sold their voice” for the trappings of power.
“The tragic reality is that PDP has fallen from the moral high of ‘Self Rule’ to a humiliating State of submission where the party is now instead asking for the Nagaland Peace Process to be emulated here. Is the Kashmir issue similar to the Nagaland problem?
“What’s PDP’s stand about its Self-Rule document now? Does it even exist? Sadly Sayeed and Mehbooba have sold their voice for the trappings of power – so they won’t be allowed to answer these questions by the BJP,” Omar said.
He said NC has not changed its political stand on a single issue.
“We stand for the resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the people and continue to demand the restoration of Internal Autonomy in the State,” he said.
Omar said PDP stood formally and publicly “exposed” as an “opportunistic subsidiary of the BJP” in Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is now impossible for the party to cover its tracks. Those in the Valley who had never participated in the electoral process came out to vote in 2014 to keep BJP out of power in the State. Sadly they were betrayed by PDP’s singular obsession with power at any cost.
“How ironic is it that Mehbooba went around asking people to vote for PDP in order to keep BJP out of power in the State and then the same Mehbooba went on to visit (BJP president) Amit Shah’s ‘Darbar’ to seek his blessings for the PDP-BJP alliance,” the NC working president said.
He said the Sayeed has been pushed into a “humiliating corner” where he has been “stripped” of all the powers and authority of the Chief Minister’s chair.
“Decisions taken by the Chief Minister are publicly overturned by Cabinet Ministers. While Sayeed might prefer personal humiliation and denigration for the sake of power, the sanctity of the Chief Minister’s Office has been trivialized by PDP – and that is extremely unfortunate and humiliating for all of us,” Omar said.
Condemning the ruthless, merciless assault on protesting Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers, Omar Abdullah said the State Government cannot go after teachers with sticks and batons after a brazen attempt to humiliate them.
“If the Government thinks the ReT Teachers aren’t adequately trained, they should be trained by the Government as per the standards that are expected from them. You cannot treat the teachers of our society so ruthlessly by beating them and chasing them like criminals”, Omar said, adding “the scheme, which now employs close to 65,000 teachers, has also been a big source of productive employment generation. It seems PDP wants to play politics over this scheme – and that’s extremely petty and unfortunate”.
Meanwhile, hailing the civilians who overpowered a Pakistani militant alive after attack on a BSF convoy at Udhampur in Jammu region yesterday, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah demanded their appointment as Special Police Officers (SPO) in the State Police.
The working president of the main oppoisition National Conference (NC) in the State, which is being ruled by PDP-BJP alliance, Mr Abdullah also take a dig at News Channels and said it is amazing how channels are going to town as if this is the first arrest of a Pakistani militant.
In a tweet Mr Abdullah said, “Take them (civilians who captured the militant) in to the police as SPOs. Both demands will be solved with one decision.
The civilians had demanded that they should be given protection and we should be given employment. “Very brave of the unarmed civilians to wrestle & disarm an armed terrorist. They should be suitably rewarded for this bravery,” he further tweeted.
He said very unfortunate that credit is not going where it is due – to those 3 unarmed villagers who captured him.” He also criticised the police for interrogating the arrested militant in front of mediapersons.
“Absolutely bizarre to see a terrorist interrogated by police for the news cameras,” he said. Taking dig at debating the arrest he said, “It’s amazing how channels are going to town as if this is the first arrest of a Pakistani militant.”
“The fact that this terrorist was caught by civilians is newsworthy but not the fact that we have caught one alive”. “I can’t help thinking that some TV News “discussions” just aren’t worth the effort. After the shouting all you’re left with is a headache.”
“God help your lungs & your vocal cords. Better you than me,” Mr Abdullah said.
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