SRINAGAR: Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Sunil Sharma on Thursday described the upcoming Panchayat and municipal elections as a test of the Omar Abdullah-led government’s popularity, accusing the ruling National Conference (NC) of avoiding grassroots polls for fear of defeat.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) function in Kashmir, Sharma alleged that the NC government had failed to fulfil its electoral promises on electricity, employment and ration supplies.
“The Panchayat elections will be the first litmus test for the Omar Abdullah government,” he said, claiming that the ruling party was reluctant to face voters at the grassroots level.
Sharma also accused the Abdullah family of opposing local elections because it did not want alternative political leadership to emerge in the region. He urged the government to hold Panchayat and municipal elections, which he described as an important measure of public support.
On the security situation, the BJP leader claimed that militancy in Jammu and Kashmir had declined significantly over the past five years. He credited the Union Home Ministry and security agencies for the improvement, further claiming that the recruitment of local Kashmiri youth into militant organisations had stopped over the past two years.
Sharma said security forces continued operations against foreign militants and claimed that stone-pelting incidents and activities linked to overground worker networks had also declined.
Referring to recent remarks by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said Kashmir was gradually moving away from decades of militancy towards peace, although achieving complete normalcy would take more time.
Commenting on comparisons between political prisoners in Kashmir and protesters in Ladakh, Sharma said people accused of serious militancy-related offences should not be equated with peaceful protesters.
He said the BJP would support justice for innocent people but maintained that those involved in violence against the country could not be described as innocent.
Earlier, Sharma addressed a BJP programme organised to honour senior party leader Ashok Koul, who has been assigned a new organisational responsibility after serving in a key party position for around 14 years.
Sharma credited Koul with strengthening the party’s organisational network in Kashmir and described the change in responsibilities as part of the BJP’s routine organisational process. He said Koul’s guidance would continue to benefit the party.
