Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah Wednesday said that the delay in holding ULB elections is because the BJP is fearful of an adverse outcome and an imminent defeat.
Omar said this while addressing a one-day workers’ convention in Pattan. The convention was convened by In Charge constituency Pattan Reyaz Bedar.
“The ULB elections considered as a bellwether for forthcoming Parliament elections and an imminent adverse outcome for BJP and its local minions will lay bare that the sentiment on the ground is against the BJP and its A, B, C and D teams,” Omar said lamenting the inordinate delay in the holding of ULB elections. He further added that the debacle would also be a resounding defeat of their propaganda on the revocation of Art 370.
On the occasion, the party VP welcomed a number of socio-political activists into the party fold, hoping that the party would benefit from their experience in public life & social activism.
“In a democracy, everything hinges on elections but no elections have taken place in J&K for so many years,” he said adding that the ruling BJP was in no mood to even cede low-level decision-making spaces like ULB bodies for local people to let go having a duly elected legislature.
“LG sahib knew that the tenure of ULB bodies in J&K was nearing its end, so why wasn’t the delimitation process carried out in advance? The reality is different, and it has nothing to do with the delimitation process. The BJP does experiments only to get the results of its choice. Half of the work was done by the party through delimitation but even that work is now slipping out of its hands,” he said.
Omar said that he failed to understand that when he, despite being a former Chief Minister, and other top politicians were spending days and nights in detention in 2019, how come Altaf Bukhari was enjoying freedom? “Please tell us this secret, how and why you (Altaf Bukhari) were free?” Omar asked.
Castigating the persistent repression of the people of Kashmir on account of daily frisking, rising unemployment, ration curtailment and shortage of basic utility services, Omar said that the BJP’s promised dawn of development, and progress continues to remain a distant dream.
Among others General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, Additional General Secretary Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani Sogami, Chief Spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, Political Advisor to VP Mudassar Shahmiri, Senior leaders Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, Aga Syed Mehmood, North Zone President Javed Dar, District President Baramulla Dr. Sajad Uri, Provincial Secretary Showkat Ahmad Mir, GR Naaz, Constituency incharges Irshad Rasool Kar, Mohammad Yaqoob Wani, Farooq Shah, Muhammad Ibrahim Mir Advocate Neelofar Masood were also present on the occasion.
