Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister and Opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday termed the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition as directionless and visionless and asked the Chief Minister to spell out the compulsions that prompted her to form the Government despite showing reservations initially. He said the coalition Govern-ment lacks clarity on important issues of sainik colony, clusters for Kashmiri migrants and new industrial policy.
Abdullah was speaking in the legislative Assembly on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s address. This was his first face-off with Mufti after she assumed power on April 4, around three months after the demise of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
“There is nothing in the Governor’s address that would refer to a new vision or direction of the new Government,” Abdullah said.
He asked the Chief Minister to explain as to what compulsions led her to align with the BJP once again when she was not willing to form the Government until Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) were announced by the Central Government. “We want to know what CBMs were given to you when you agreed to form the Government,” Abdullah said.
Abdullah’s speech was full of sarcasm on PDP starting from its election campaign seeking votes to keep the BJP away and ultimately aligning with it twice in a year’s time. He recalled as to how Mehbooba, after the demise of her father, showed reluctance to realign with BJP but ultimately agreed to form the Government without getting any promise or package.
He obliquely told Mehbooba that it was fear of dissention in her party that led her to form the Government hastily without waiting for the CBMs. “A day after your meeting with Prime Minister in New Delhi, a senior BJP leader said at BJP headquarters that neither did Mehbooba seek anything from Modi nor did he offer her anything. She sought Modi’s blessings only,” Omar quoted the leader as saying. He said if it was a matter of blessings only then why were two months wasted.
He said that the State Government has no clarity on three important issues—setting-up of residential colony for former soldiers, composite colonies for displaced Kashmiris including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, and the new industrial policy that seeks to lease out land to non-state subjects.
He alleged that the State Government failed to prevent the implementation of NEET that directly hits the State’s right on deciding the education policy. He said that PDP could not get additional relief for flood affected people or return of one odd power project from NHPC or inclusion of one city, Srinagar or Jammu, in the list of smart cities.
He said that the Agenda of Alliance that PDP and BJP boasts to implement in the state is only adhered to in breach. He accused the Chief Minister of failing the students and State police in NIT issue. He said the Central Government called three meetings to review the situation in Jammu & Kashmir and no State representative was invited to participate in the latest meeting.
He lambasted on PDP’s claims to initiate dialogue (with separatists). “Whom are you going to talk to when they (separatists) are not allowed to move freely,” he said.
He sought CM’s explanation on what happened in Handwara case where five persons by killed by security forces. “The girl says she was held and disrespected by police in custody and her video was recorded by a senior police.”
Omar said that the Government was not visible on the ground. “During the Mufti Sayeed’s tenure, there was a change on the surface of macadamised roads but that minister was dropped in the new Cabinet,” Omar said sarcastically, referring to rumour mill that the former R&B Minister Altaf Bukhari was leading the dissention brigade to form new Government with support from BJP.