Omar calls PDP-BJP coalition a government of U-turns and surrenders

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

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SRINAGAR, Jun 8: On completion of its first 100 days in office, National Conference President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday dismissed the PDP-BJP coalition as “a government of U-turns and surrenders”, claiming that it had failed on all fronts.

Coming out of its hibernation with the release of an exhaustive report on the performance of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference marked the regime’s first milestone with a Press conference by Omar Abdullah. Omar declined to take questions on Afzal Guru’s execution with the argument that it could “rub salt over the old wounds”, but he asserted cogently that his Kashmir successor, PDP, had made abject surrenders before the Centre.

In reply to a question, Omar alleged that the Mufti government’s ostensible drive against encroachment of the forest land in Jammu was a brazen case of “discrimination” as the campaign was restricted only to the Muslim-dominated areas. He said he would welcome a genuine anti-encroachment campaign if it would have been initiated and carried out without the considerations of the caste, creed and colour.

 Over the reports of ‘saffornisation’ of the bureaucracy, Omar contended: “This issue pertains to the Chief Minister as the chief secretary has to take consent of the chief Minister who heads the GAD”. He claimed that GAD had not issued or withdrawn the order of giving respect to the State flag, alongside the National flag, without the mandatory approval of the State’s Chief Minister.

“Over AFSPA revocation, the PDP used to raise its pitch earlier but now it is completely mute. PDP-BJP’s agenda of alliance talks about the revocation of AFSPA, but no such measures have been taken and rather the state government stands divested of the right to even talk about AFSPA, which is unprecedented. Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed continues to evade questions of AFSPA at official events and press interactions,” he said.

As regards the PDP’s claim that the Indian Constitution’s Aricle 370, that gives special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, would survive all odds, Omar referred to the BJP national spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi’s May 26^th statement. In her statement, Ms Lekhi had asserted that the BJP was committed to its election-time promise of abrogation of Article 370.

Over the dialogue with Pakistan, Omar said: “Contrary to its previous claims, PDP now has surrendered its position over the issue and that BJP at present has been maintaining that terror and talks can’t go together”.

“Over the return of the power projects from NHPC, the NC Working President said, “In a brazen U-Turn, PDP voted against the resolution pertaining to return of power projects when National Conference introduced it in legislative council”

Over new recruitment policy, Omar maintained that in PDP’s Year of Youth, the first gift to the youth has made the youth wish and pray there are no more gifts. “The government’s draconian, suppressive tendencies have been an open secret from the very first week of its tenure. Besides protesting flood victims and traders, our employees too have been at the receiving end of the government’s batons,” he said.

Over what he termed the inordinate delay in rehabilitation of the flood victims, Omar said, “The sufferers have been let down by the government that foisted elections on them in the midst of devastation. Now the new government has demonstrated a complete lack of political will to start the dignified compensation and rehabilitation of the flood victims. The Finance Ministry has again suddenly run out of ideas and the CM has little to offer on his whirlwind chopper tours.”

“The alliance continued to be viewed with doubt and suspicion in both regions of the state. There is widespread discontent on frequent U-Turns and surrenders on political stands that had been taken earlier. There is mistrust and the ambiguity from the government of various key-issues has led to an increase in incidents of provocation and friction,” Omar added.

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