Omar Abdullah | KO Photo: Abid Bhat
Srinagar: Former Chief Minister and National Conference Party Vice President Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that the Peoples Alliance For Gupkar Alliance (PAGD) spearheading the campaign for special status restoration, was receiving unprecedented support from the people despite hurles, false and intimidating measures by the BJP.
Chairing a meet of central zone functionaries at party headquarters Nawa e Subah, here, the NC leader as per a party spokesperson said that a pliant lot which has surfaced to strengthen BJP, RSS is apparently being facilitated by the administration in the ongoing DDC elections by circumventing all norms. He said in spite of that, people coming in large numbers to ensure that anti-Kashmir forces don’t get a chance to play any mischief with the mandate in wake of any thin voting and “ubiquitous favouritism of administration towards BJP, its ilk”.
“We are doing politics in extraordinary times, never in history post 1996, has the government of India been so disinclined towards contesting candidates. Such an outlook is unheard of in an emancipated world and in the post independent India, where anyone who is participating in a democratic exercise is being intimidated and vilified,” Omar, as per NC spokesperson said.
“On the other hand there are people who are working against the interests of Jammu and Kashmir. Considering the imminent threat people of J&k have made it a point to give a befitting reply to such forces which are working in the direction which are not in the interest of the nation in general and J&K in particular,” he added.
The former CM further said that his party has given primacy to the interests of the people of J&K over its own interests only to ensure that realization that has dawned upon the political parties in J&K is able to endure the antagonism from BJP, its Team-B.
“Ditching all the allegations that it was the power that the party hankered for, our party president took a lead and cobbled up an alliance for the restoration of restoration of J&K’s identity,” he said.
“ Party president knew that the movement we get splintered, our political adversaries in the shape of BJP, and its team of pliant stooges would get a free run to trade off all vital interests of the people of J&K for petty political gains. It was in that perspective that the party sought to give primacy to PAGD and willing to give any sacrifice for the same in the future also, because we are not fighting for power,” he added.
Omar further said that participating in DDC elections was part of the struggle for the restoration of “our rights which were spitefully annexed by the ruling BJP”
“We are fighting to see our state flag hoisted next to the national flag. Moreover, we aren’t seeking anything outside the ambit of the country’s constitution, we are fighting for the rights which are there in the constitution itself,” he said.
He accused the “edgy” BJP of increasing its tirade against the PAGD leadership orchestrating false allegations against them and by employing various intimidating measures to dissuade the People’s Alliance. He said having failed on its previous planks, BJP was now resorting to propping up the names of PAGD leadership in Roshni Act.
“A false perception is being sold about ROSHNI Scheme but how could it possibly be illegal when it was passed by the state legislature and also accorded concurrence by the then governor. In the spree of mounting tirade on PAGD, BJP fails to remember that it was the same governor’s post which was callously, unconstitutionally and undemocratically used to dismember and disenfranchise the state. If we go by BJPs analogy, then all the measures which were carried out by the governor are principally illegal because it didn’t even receive the assent of the state legislature,” he said.
“Why is it that only PAGD is targeted? What about BJP’s own members whose names in fact have propped up in the land grab? The names of one of its members, former speaker and the former deputy chief minister, as a point of fact have surfaced in illicit land grabs in Jammu,” he added.
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