Omar accuses Ladakh Admn of biased agenda
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR Sept 8: National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah today said that the Constitution of India has both the names India and Bharat and there is no difference between the two.
Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a party function here in Srinagar on Bharat-India name change row that the Constitution has both the names and there is no difference between the two.
“If you see the Prime Minister’s plane, both India and Bharat are written there as well. I don’t see any difference between the two, if anyone sees any difference, then they know that, I do not. They are both the same things. It is the media which creates controversy,” he said.
On the question about “One nation, one election proposal”, Farooq said let the Government put it before Parliament. “We will see what we will do,” he said.
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On the fresh notification by election authorities in Ladakh for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council polls in Kargil, Abdullah said the notification has been issued and the elections will take place and the people will vote in October.
The NC president said the G20 forum is better than the United Nations as 20 countries discuss their issues and look for solutions.
However, he stressed that the G20 meeting takes place in every member country on a rotational basis and it is a normal process.
“G20 (meeting) is a normal process. It rotates between the 20 countries. It is a good forum where these 20 countries put themselves together and discuss their issues and look for their solutions. It is a good forum rather than the UN where there are so many countries,” he said.
When asked what the holding of the meeting in India means for the country, Abdullah said such meetings take place in every member country on a rotational basis.
“Did the G20 not take place in the other countries? It will happen in Brazil next year, then rotate again,” the NC president said.
When asked whether he had received the invitation for the dinner hosted by the President to the G20 leaders, the NC leader said “no”. “Why should President invite me? I don’t see why the President would invite me,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference leader and former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has accused the Ladakh administration of a biased agenda for taking the allocation of “plough” symbol issue to the Supreme Court.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here in Srinagar, Omar described it as unfortunate to fight for the thing that is right of a political party.
“Election guidelines are very clear about the allocation of the symbol. Clearly, the administration in Ladakh had a biased agenda which is why they went all the way to the Supreme Court. But if you read the verdict, particularly the detailed judgement and the imposition of Rs 1 lakh on Ladakh administration is itself an indication how seriously the court viewed the conduct of Ladakh administration,” he said.
The NC leader said he was pleased that the order for reserving the “plough” symbol was issued by the apex court.
“We have now been allotted our symbol. The fresh date for the elections has been issued. Our candidates will file their nominations, and we look forward to receiving the support of the people of Kargil in this election,” he said.
On Bharat controversy, Omar challenged the Centre to ‘change’ the Constitution first if they have ‘guts’.
“Nobody can change it… It is not so easy to change the name of the country. To do this, you will have to change the Constitution of the country. If you have the guts, then do it, we will also see who supports you…,” he said.
The NC leader said BJP can’t change the name of India. “Nobody can change the name. Do they (BJP) have a two third majority in Parliament? If they have, let them do it. Changing name is not an easy task. if they intend to change the name it requires a change in the Constitution,” he said.
“We want to see who supports you to change the name of the country,” he said.
Omar said that Constitution is very clear India which is Bharat is a union of States.
“Both names are mentioned in Indian Constitution. If Modi sahib is not using the name of India, let him not. He can’t remove it from the Constitution,” he said
On a recent statement by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha that Statehood would be restored after elections, Omar said he doesn’t believe that this is something that he can decide himself.
“Let us assume that the Supreme Court judgment (on Article 370 petitions) will come before the Assembly elections. Let us see what the Top Court has to say on this matter,” he said.
The Apex Court raised some very pertinent questions on the whole process that was followed to break up J&K and then reduce it from a State to a Union Territory. The Government had no answers neither on the process nor on the time, nor on the timeline for restoration. I think we should wait to see what the Supreme Court says,” the NC leader said.
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