Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, Jul 9 :
There is more anger in Kashmir than in Jammu over the “misrule” of the previous Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP alliance, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said today claiming none of the state’s regions had got justice during that period.
Attacking the BJP and the PDP over their hypocrisy and double-speak , the former chief minister said after three years opportunistic bonhomie” the two parties were now indulging in public mud-slinging.
None of the regions got justice because of the inefficiency of the previous government. The anger against this government is more in Kashmir than Jammu, Abdullah said addressing a day-long convention organised by the NC’s women wing here.
He said the three years of misrule brought misery to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions, who were denied justice and deprived of development and accountable administration.
Lashing out at the PDP for blaming New Delhi of betrayal and conspiracy in dislodging the Mehbooba Mufti government, Abdullah said the people
Anger against….
of Kashmir were not ready to buy such arguments.
Not a single voice was raised or tear shed over the dumping of the PDP-led government. The same is true about Jammu where people took no cognizance of the fall of the BJP government, he said.
In fact, the people were happy to see a non-performing liability in the form of PDP-BJP government gone, he claimed.
He wondered at former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s jibe at the prime minister, seeking just one inch of his 56-inch chest for Kashmir asking what stopped her from demanding justice for Jammu and Kashmir during Narendra Modi’s visits to Jammu, Srinagar and Ladakh earlier.
Instead, the PDP chief went out of way in heaping praises on Modi. We witnessed such praises coming in immense measure in the assembly as well,” he added.
Taking a dig at the BJP for crying hoarse over discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh during the past three years, he asked why did none of its members or ministers rake up these issues during their partnership with the PDP.
Either there was something wrong in BJP’s three years silence or now they are trying to hoodwink the public opinion by believing them to be fools , he said.
Abdullah said the two coalition partners flaunted ‘Pakki Dosti’ (fast-friendship) during the years of their power sharing.
“But after the rug was pulled from under their seat of power, their tones have changed, he said.
Abdullah also hit back over BJP chief Amit Shah’s recent comment about the rule of two families from Kashmir and reminded him of the similar remarks made by Modi in 2014.
Will Shah justify BJP’s tie-up with one of these two families after stitching an alliance with Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in 2014,” he asked.
Abdullah alleged it was “sheer opportunism and lust for power” that brought the “north pole and south pole” together.
He claimed that if power was the only motive, the NC with 28 MLAs in 2003 and 15 MLAs in 2014 could have formed the government. Abdullah said his party would continue to carry forward this legacy and urged the cadre to intensify their public outreach programme.
He said the recent rejig in National Conference was aimed at meeting the challenges confronted by the state and rejuvenating the party.
