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People determined to teach PDP a lesson for betraying their trust: Omar Abdullah

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Reiterates to do away with SRO-202, PSA

Ashmuqam, Apr 21: National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Sunday asserted that the active participation of people in ensuing elections will render forces as are inimical to the state’s identity dysfunctional, besides setting the direction of the state for next half-a-decade.

Addressing an election campaign rally in Ashmuqam, Pahalgam, the former chief minister said that Article 370 and Article 35-A are very crucial for the state and that any attack on it will inadvertently affect each and every individual of the state.

“The articles ensure the citizenry of our state certain unbridgeable rights on jobs and scholarships; any move to scuttle the articles will have far-reaching consequences on people of the state. So it is imperative for the people across the state, in particular the people of south Kashmir, to vote.

“This time every vote you cast will set the course of our state for the next half-a-decade. This time you will be voting for securing your identity which is facing unbridled attacks from all sides,” he said adding that “keeping in view the challenges faced by our state, our party made a decision of fielding Hasnain Masoodi from Anantnag parliamentary constituency; it was a well thought decision intended to sent a representative voice to parliament that can fight for our status.”

Omar while censuring Mehbooba Mufti for giving a platform to the BJP-RSS, said, “Today we see her shedding tears on the miseries. People would have appreciated if she would have shed her tears when scores of our youth were devoured upon in her stint as chief minister. The tears we see in her eyes are not out of remorse, on the contrary these tears are political tears which she is craftily shedding to gain the lost ground.

“However, people have made it a point that they will not fall prey to her shenanigans and slyness. People remember how she had bolted her mouth in 2016. We didn’t see her raise qualms over the problems faced by people when she was enjoying power with the BJP, her tears emerged only after BJP withdrew the support.”

Ridiculing PDP’s undertaking of protecting Article 370, Article 35-A, Omar said, “Today we see Mehbooba pledging to protect the state’s special status given the fact that she was the one who did much damage to it during her stint as chief minister. We saw NFSA, SARAFESI and GST being implemented in the state during her tenure. Today our people are hankering for basic edibles including sugar. Who is responsible for it? Every commodity has become dearer, and is subject to heavy taxations. Who is responsible for breaking the back of small and marginal artisans, hoteliers, and other traders? We didn’t? It was Mehbooba Mufti who took many cataclysmic decisions when she was in power,” Omar said.

“Every single sector of our state is ailing today — be it tourism, horticulture or handicrafts. People still remember how she mocked the miseries of families who lost their kids in 2016 with her ‘milk and toffee’ comments. It was she who had barefacedly said that the guns of security persons are not for mere display but for action.

“Now we see her washing hands off from the torments she unleashed on people, particularly on the people of south Kashmir. However if she thinks that she can take people for a ride this time also, then she is mistaken.

“How can a mother forgive her whose daughter stands blinded for life? What about the traders, hoteliers, artisans who are facing the brunt of GST? How will she answer those whom she pushed to duress by implementing NFSA (food act)? Will that mother forgive her whose kinds are craving for food? She stands no chance; people have seen it all with their eyes. Posterity will never forgive her for berating people’s mandate for ascending the altar of power,” Omar Abdullah said.

He said that PDP opened the floodgates for BJP-RSS in the state. “Today we have RSS Shakhas established across the state. Not just that we saw how RSS took out a march brandishing weapons in her tenure as CM of the state. We saw her crawl when she was ordered to bow by BJP. She didn’t had the gumption to raise voice against the mob lynchings orchestrated under the nose of BJP-led centre and state governments. We didn’t see her raise voice against the targeted violence committed on our students, and traders across the country. How can people trust her now?” he said.

“When in power Mehbooba didn’t hesitate to lock the gates of Jama Masjid for many weeks. She didn’t quiver to bar people from offering Eid prayers. Do we have any reason to believe her now? She has bluffed people. Had BJP not kicked her out, she would have been enjoying power?” he added.

NC vice-president said that Mehbooba Mufti’s swearword on protecting the state’s special status is indeed a deception.

“It was the PDP which withdrew the order of putting state flags on state buildings in order to keep BJP in good humor. It was Mehbooba who herself didn’t take note of the issue of non-state subjects getting state-subject certificates in the state. The issue was brought to her notice by Basharat Bukhari Sahib who had submitted a detailed report on that issue for the necessary action at her end. However she outrightly chose not to take action on it.

“When in power she had put on the blinkers to what was happening to the state and its people. She has lost every spec of the people’s trust. It was the youth who bore the brunt of her embrace with BJP. Today the youth are disenchanted with her. She robbed them of their merit. People need not to be educated on this, they remember the exceeding levels of nepotism and corruption that her government was marred with,” Omar alleged.

He said that even the tribal communities of the state couldn’t escape the wrath of her misgovernment. “Her tenure in power saw undue intimidation of Gujjars and Bakarwals. Many of her colleagues in the cabinet intimidated Gujjars; we didn’t see Mehbooba take action then against the delinquent minister.

“No gimmickry and passing the blame can absolve her of the torments she unleashed on people. Her tenure shall be remembered for maladministration, misgovernment, nepotism, corruption and operational failure on the issues of governance,” he said.

Omar said that during the run up of 2014 elections, Mufti’s had made sleuth of promises on revocation of AFSPA, initiation of dialogue with Pakistan, bringing back power projects from Centre and much more. “However we didn’t see them deliver on these issues too. AFSPA is there, power projects haven’t been returned to the state. Where is the dialogue with Pakistan? Today the clouds of war are looming over our heads. We didn’t see her facilitating dialogue with Hurriyat. What we saw was incarcerating all of them, using NIA against them. We saw worst of human rights violations being used as a shield. We saw the respect of our mothers and sisters being undermined by braid chopping incidents. They deceived the people of state on each and every promise they made. The much-touted agenda of alliance turned out to be a damp squib. It was only crafted by Mufti’s to hide their lust of power,” he said.

While reiterating party’s agenda of peace and prosperity, he said, “We are committed to do away with the notorious PSA and anti-youth SR0-202. Once in power, we will do away with them. We will make amends to the wrongs committed by PDP-BJP. We will ensure all-round development of all the sections of society. We will make certain that Gujjars are able to draw their sustenance from forests in an eco-friendly way. We are committed to ensure dignified livelihood to all our youngsters. We have to work on many fronts ranging from tourism to education; we will do it together with the active participation of people.”

JK Cong leaders remote controlled from Delhi: Omar 

Srinagar, Apr 21: Former chief minister Omar Abdullah Sunday said the state leadership of Congress are “helpless and powerless” as they even the minor issues regarding the state of Jammu and Kashmir are handled and controlled by the central leadership in Delhi.

“I have worked with Congress for six years. I know that even the smaller issues are controlled by Congress’s central leadership and the state leaders of Congress have no say at all,” Omar said while talking to reporters at Aishmuqam Anantnag.

Abdullah said that the National Conference candidates in the Parliament will not have to listen to Delhi; they are independent to raise the voice for the people of Kashmir.

Hitting out at Election Commission for taking “namesake actions” against the BJP leaders for poll code violations, Omar said, “Banning campaigning of poll code violators for two to three days amounts to no action from the Election Commission of India.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders are violating poll code by generating religious euphoria among the people and dragging the sacrifices of army and paramilitaries into the election campaigning just for votes. Election Commission is watching the situation like the mute spectator and we hope that the commission will initiate stringent actions against BJP leaders for poll code violation to prove its institutional and the administrative neutrality in the conduct of elections across the country.”

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