Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Vice President of the National Conference Omar Abdullah Saturday reacted strongly to the accusations made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing his maiden election rally in Doda ahead of the first round of polling on September 18.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should focus on the “deteriorating” security situation in Jammu and Kashmir instead of raising the bogey of dynastic politics”, Omar hit back.
In his over 40 minute long speech Modi said political dynasties in Jammu and Kashmir have destroyed the region and not allowed new leadership to grow.
On the other hand, Congress also accused the Centre of failing to end terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and claimed that terrorism has returned stronger in union territory where it had been eliminated many years ago.
Paying back in the same coin, Omar Abdullah said the BJP has no qualms in forming alliances with these parties and questioned the Prime Minister’s silence over the death of two army soldiers in an encounter in Kishtwar.
“The PM made a speech in Doda… It has not been 24 hours since the attack (in Kishtwar) in which two brave army soldiers lost their lives while an encounter is going on in north Kashmir
“He talks about dynasties to mislead people. He should have talked about the present situation,” Abdullah told reporters in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
The NC leader said when Article 370 was revoked on August 5, 2019, the people of the country were told that the violence in Kashmir was because of the special status and that once it was revoked, the impact of the gun would “vanish”.
“It has been five years, but encounters are still going on,” he said.
Asked about Modi’s attack on the “dynastic politics” of the NC, the Congress, and the PDP, Abdullah said the BJP does not see anything wrong in forming alliances with these parties to come to power.
“When the BJP needed one of these families, that time we were not responsible for the destruction (of J-K). When the BJP had an alliance with the PDP, that time they did not see anything wrong with the PDP. When (former prime minister) (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee had to make a minister and he picked me, there was nothing wrong with us. Now, during the elections, they say that we are wrong,” Abdullah said.
The NC leader said if the BJP does not have the required numbers to form the government after the polls in Jammu and Kashmir and the PDP decides to support them again, “Then they (BJP) won’t see anything wrong in that”.
“It is a matter of time, such political rhetoric goes on, and then these things are forgotten after the elections are over,” he added.
Addressing a press conference at the party office in Srinagar, the party’s spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said there have been 25 terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in the 98 days since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for his third term.
“Huge claims were made that after August 2019, peace will be established in Jammu and Kashmir. I will not talk about the time since 2014 or 2019, but it has been 98 days since Modi was sworn in. In the last 98 days, there have been 25 terror strikes in J-K in which 21 security personnel were martyred, while 28 others were injured,” she said.
Shrinate said 15 citizens of the union territory have also lost their lives in these terror attacks, while 47 people were injured.
“Who will answer for it? Jammu was peaceful, the insurgency had ended there, but now, we are again witnessing terror attacks in Jammu’s Doda, Reasi, and other areas,” she added.
The Congress spokesperson paid tributes to the two soldiers who lost their lives in an encounter with terrorists in the Kishtwar district of Jammu on Friday.
She alleged the prime minister has not been offering his tributes to the fallen soldiers since 2019.
“PM tweets on small issues, discovers new countries on the world map to travel to and wishes happy birthday to people, but since 2019, Modi has stopped sending tribute or sympathy messages. Our officers, and soldiers lost their lives, Jammu and Kashmir police personnel were killed, but Modi has not uttered a single word to offer tributes or sympathies after 2019,” Shrinate alleged.
