Srinagar: Launching a scathing attack on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday accused the party of peddling “lies” regarding the status of Urdu to distract public attention from their “political alliance” with the BJP.
Addressing recent allegations that the government intended to drop Urdu as a subject, Abdullah made it clear that the administration had merely sought public feedback on a departmental proposal which has been lying on his table.
Hitting out at the PDP, Abdullah said, “May Allah protect us from these (PDP) people, who do not see the difference between truth and lies. Unfortunately, the leaders of this Jamaat (PDP) and this Jamaat do not see anything other than lies.”
He expressed surprise over the controversy, specifically taking a swipe at PDP leader Iltija Mufti’s understanding of the administrative process.
“She is a young girl, but she is educated. Do I have to teach her more?” Abdullah said and added, “There is a difference between asking for public comments and dropping a subject. The file of droppage is still on my table. I have not approved it”.
Iltija Mufti on Wednesday had claimed that the chief minister was trying to remove Urdu from the collective history of Jammu and Kashmir.
While acknowledging that a proposal had indeed come from the department, the chief minister said that his government, as an elected body, has a responsibility to take feedback from the citizens before making any final decisions.
The chief minister characterised the uproar over Urdu as a calculated “magic trick” intended to divert public attention away from the PDP’s recent actions in the Rajya Sabha.
“This is the magic of the magician. You show something with one hand and do something with the other,” he said and alleged that the PDP raised the Urdu issue specifically because they had helped the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections and wanted to avoid public scrutiny over that partnership.
The controversy erupted after an RTI reply said that the PDP had not appointed a chief agent for last year’s polls for the Rajya Sabha elections for four Jammu and Kashmir seats and the ruling National Conference (NC) had termed it a tacit alliance between the regional party and the BJP.
The NC leader said the current challenges being faced in the region were because of the PDP’s history of collaboration with the BJP.
“Whatever we are suffering today is the result of the fact that they brought the BJP here and settled it,” Abdullah said, adding that the PDP leadership “does not see anything other than lies”.
