Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday supported Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark that “Gen Z grievances are genuine and protesting doesn’t make them anti-national”.
Referring to Mohan Bhagwat’s remark, the chief minister said it was encouraging that a distinction was made between opposing the government and acting against the country.
“The good thing is that Mohan Bhagwat ji has acknowledged this distinction. Opposing the government is not the same as opposing the country. In fact, opposing the government is often beneficial for the nation because it helps correct mistakes wherever they occur,” he said.
On Thursday while addressing a gathering of around 2,000 Gen Z and Gen Alpha members at India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) 15th anniversary event in Mumbai, Bhagwat said, “If Gen Z members are agitating, they are not anti-national; they are our people. It is our next generation. You need a dialogue and rapport with them.”
Abdullah urged authorities to stop action against students who participated in the agitation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and said protesting against the government should not be equated with opposing the nation.
Abdullah said the agitation helped ensure accountability, expressing hope that it would lead to improvements in the conduct of future examinations.
Expressing concern over reports of action against the protesters, Abdullah said students were allegedly being manhandled, booked in criminal cases and harassed on social media. In some instances, police reportedly summoned their relatives. “I believe this entire course of action should stop,” he said.
Referring to the protests in Jharkhand, Abdullah said he hoped Chief Minister Hemant Soren would engage with the protesting students instead of ignoring their demands.
“He should call them, hold talks with them, and if anything wrong has actually happened, take action against those responsible, just as we did here,” Abdullah said. He urged the Jharkhand government to engage with the protesting students and address their grievances.
Regarding the situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah expressed concern over reports of civilian casualties and called for an impartial investigation. He said Pakistan should be reminded of the stand it took before the international community during the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir in 2008, 2010 and 2016, when it sought international attention over alleged human rights concerns.
“The same demand should now apply there. There should be an impartial investigation so that the truth comes out,” he said.
FIR against Iltija Mufti ‘fixed match’ to resurrect PDP’s credibility: Omar Abdullah
Jammu: Mocking police allegations that PDP leader Iltija Mufti bit an officer during a protest, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday dismissed an FIR against her as a “fixed match” designed to rebuild the party’s credibility and asked if she was a “five-year-old child who can bite someone”.
Abdullah launched the blunt attack in response to PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s accusation that her party members, including her daughter Iltija, were being targeted by police for advocating the restoration of Article 370.
“Don’t ask me for commentary on this fixed match,” Abdullah told reporters.
“Now tell me, is Iltija Mufti a five-year-old child who can bite someone? Even a five-year-old knows that you don’t bite people in this manner.
“This unnecessary attempt to fool the public is nothing but an effort to make people forget about the ‘woh banta hai’ statement. Unfortunately, this keeps happening with the PDP,” he said.
Abdullah alleged that the controversy was engineered to divert public attention from Mehbooba Muft’s recent “woh banta hai” remark at a Delhi protest in reference to security forces using pellet guns in Kashmir, which sparked fierce backlash after opponents accused her of rationalising violence in the region.
Though Mehbooba Mufti later issued an unconditional apology clarifying that she meant to say “bahana banta hai” (an excuse is made), Abdullah insisted the damage to her party’s standing was already done.
“After the ‘woh banta hai’ statement, their image has become so weak,” Abdullah said.
“This party did not rise on its own; it was created by the agencies. Whenever their image becomes weak, attempts are made by the agencies to restore their credibility. This unnecessary attempt to fool the public is nothing but an effort to make people forget,” he said.
Police maintain that Iltija assaulted an official during the August 5 protest, including biting him.
The PDP has fiercely rejected the charge, labelling the case a politically motivated crackdown aimed at suppressing demands for the return of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, which was revoked by the Centre in August 2019.
