‘Not easy to reconcile with what was done to J&K on Aug 5’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 9: National Conference vice president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said tonight that he is struggling with the question of whether he should continue in politics saying he has no easy answers and has lot of doubts.
Omar’s sensational remarks came during an interview with Karan Thapar telecast tonight by The Wire in which he bares his soul and reveals self-doubts, loss of motivation and the fact that he is struggling with the question of whether he should continue in politics saying he is jaded and de-motivated.
“It’s not an easy question to answer. It’s not a question that I have an emphatic answer. The fact that I have doubts about the answer is an answer in itself,’’ Omar said in response to the question that whether he wants to continue in politics.
“I find it very difficult to motivate myself. I have lost motivation. A certain light inside may not have been switched off but it’s a lot dimmer. I have never been like this,” Omar said, adding he is struggling with the question of whether he should continue in politics.
He said he has no easy answers and has lot of doubts.
Omar said it’s not easy to reconcile with what was done to Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019 when the Central Government had withdrawn special status of J&K and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
“I’m finding current realities lot more difficult. It’s not easy to reconcile with what was done to Jammu and Kashmir 16 or 18 months back. It’s not the question of some persons being detained and released after few months. It’s the injustice that has been done to Jammu and Kashmir. It’s difficult to come to terms to that,’’ Omar said in an emotional 40 minutes interview.
He added that he had never been like this.
“I’m not that enthusiastic as was 18 months ago,’’ he asserted.
“In the past year and a half, I feel deeply jaded and disappointed today. I wasn’t this person before August 5, 2019. I find far more difficult to motivate myself to do basic political activities today which wasn’t the case one and a half year back. It doesn’t fill me with any enthusiasm. I’m deeply de-motivated,’’ Omar said.
Asked how the people of Kashmir react if Narendra Modi is to stay in power, the former Chief Minister observed that there is same degree of alarm and worry among the people of Kashmir as is among the people who didn’t vote for him (Modi).
“Modi is elected with 34 or 35 percent vote. There is sizeable chunk that doesn’t vote for him. People of Kashmir have similar views as rest of population in the country which doesn’t vote for Modi. There is fair degree of concern,’’ he said.
He added that not only the people of Kashmir but sizeable population in India including the majority community have concerns over what’s happening in the country.
Meanwhile, support for the right to free speech cannot depend upon the religion of a person, Omar said after many criticised the suspension of US President Donald Trump’s social media accounts following the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters.
“Will all those crying themselves hoarse about Trump & his right to free speech please extend the same courtesy to #MunawarFaruqui & his friends. You either support the right to free speech or you don’t. It can’t depend upon the religion of the person speaking/tweeting,” Abdullah said on Twitter, referring to the arrested stand-up comedian from Gujarat.
Faruqui was arrested, along with four others, in Indore in Madhya Pradesh on January 2 after the son of a BJP MLA filed a complaint accusing them of passing indecent remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show.
Abdullah’s remarks came after various social media users, including some BJP leaders, expressed concern on Saturday over the suspension of Trump’s Twitter account.
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