‘J&K situation alarming, not good for polls’

Srinagar: Former chief minister and vice-president of National Conference, Omar Abdullah, on Monday termed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as “alarming”; hence not conducive for holding fresh elections to the state Assembly.

He, however, reiterated the demand for dissolution of the present House which placed under suspended animation following the imposition of the Governor’s rule in the State on June 20, asserting that it was imperative to discourage horse-trading and all other attempts which may prove detrimental to democratic values.

Mr Abdullah, who was addressing a daylong convention organised by the NC’s women’s wing and later speaking to reporters in Jammu, said the dissolution of the State Assembly “is the cure for all the rumours about horse-trading, splitting of political parties and government formation.” He said that though situation in the state is not conducive for holding fresh Assembly elections, his party is ready to contest whenever these are held. “The situation in Kashmir is quite alarming. It may be good in Jammu enough for holding elections, but not in the Valley,” he said.

He urged Governor N. N Vohra “to restore back the normality of 2014 that witnessed near normal activity, communal harmony and peaceful conduct of Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections across Jammu and Kashmir”. He hastened to add that he understands that it will take time to create a climate conducive for holding elections in the State.

Asked if the NC will approach the Supreme Court for dissolution of the Assembly, he said it is something that the party has not yet decided.

He alleged that over the past three years the State witnessed “misrule” by PDP-BJP combine, bringing miseries to the of its all three regions- Jammu, the Valley and Ladakh. “They were denied justice and deprived of development,” he alleged.

He accused the BJP and former Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti of indulging in “hypocrisy and double-speak”. He said, “After three years of opportunistic bonhomie they are now indulging in mud-slinging publicly,” he said.

Referring to Ms. Mufti’s jibe at the Prime Minister, seeking just one inch of his 56 inch chest for Kashmir, Mr. Abdullah asked what stopped her in seeking justice for Jammu and Kashmir during several visits of Mr. Modi to Jammu, Srinagar and Ladakh. “Instead she would go out of way in heaping praises on Mr Modi. We witnessed such praises coming in immense measure in the Assembly as well”, he said.

He said that the BJP was now crying hoarse over discrimination meted out to Jammu and Ladakh regions during the past three years “but why didn’t any of its members or ministers rake up these issues during their partnership with the PDP in the government”?

He said, “For all this time, they including the Deputy Chief Minister preferred to be silent and now they are yelling the slogan of discrimination. Either there was something wrong in BJP’s three years silence or now they are trying to hoodwink the public opinion by believing them as fools”.

He further said that every BJP minister used to shower praises on Ms. Mufti and the two coalition partners were flaunting bonding and ‘pakki dosti’ during the years of their power sharing. “But after the rug was pulled from under their seat of power, their tones have changed”, he said.

Lashing out at the PDP for blaming New Delhi of betrayal and conspiracy in dislodging the Mufti government, Mr. Abdullah said the people of Kashmir were not ready to buy such arguments, which is evident from their total indifference over fall of the government. “Not a single voice was raised or tear shed for dumping the PDP-led government in the Valley. The same is true about Jammu where people took no cognizance of the fall of BJP government. In fact the people were happy to see non-performing liability in the form of PDP-BJP government gone”, he asserted.

Taking a jibe at BJP president Amit Shah over his remark about two Kashmir families, the NC leader said he would like to remind him of the similar phraseology used by Mr. Modi during his campaigning in Srinagar in 2014. “Will Amit Shah justify BJP’s alliance with one of the two families after stitching alliance with Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in 2014”?, he asked saying “sheer opportunism and lust for power brought to the duo, which they themselves called North Pole- South Pole, together”. End it

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