Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accepted his Gujarat counterpart and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s “suggestion” to debate the efficacy of Article 370 and threw a counter-challenge to discuss it “anytime, anywhere and with anybody”.
“We are ready to talk to anyone on the subject even if you select Ahmedabad in Gujarat as a venue for the same”, Omar said while referring to Modi’s recent speech in Jammu on December 1, which triggered a massive debate on the relevance and usefulness of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that guarantees special status to Jammu & Kashmir State.
Addressing a gathering on his grandfather Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah’s birth anniversary, Omar said that Artcile 370 acts as a “bridge” between J&K and the rest of country and maintained that efforts to weaken this would weaken the bridge.
Omar asserted that many people in India who have held and are holding high offices are equally ignorant about the nature, importance and essentiality of Article 370. “I feel astonished to watch some people talking about Article 370 who have not even properly and completely read this Article. They connect domicile rights of the people of the State, land grant issues and other similar matters to this Article which has nothing to do with these matters”, he said.
Rejecting BJP’s demand for abrogation of Article 370, Omar said that the only available way to abrogate it is to recall the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. He cautioned that in such a case the question of State’s accession would again crop up.
Omar’s father Farooq Abdullah, who is New and Renewable Energy Minister in the UPA Government also resorted to Modi bashing and resented efforts to weaken the vital Article of the Constitution.
“Nobody, whether Narendra Modi or anyone else, can ever revoke Article 370. The article will remain there forever,” he had said.
Omar gave a resume of his Government’s achievements, which is completing five years in office next month. “I want to make the State financially as self-sufficient so that it would be capable of offering funds to the Centre for works rather than requesting to it for the same,” he said.
Narendra Modi had accused J&K of being a beggar State that always goes to the Centre with a begging bowl.
Omar said his Government has launched power projects with a capacity of generating over 1,750 MW of powers during the last five years and these will come to production within next four to five years. He said more than 9,825 kilometers of new roads have been constructed during his tenure besides connecting 1,150 unconnected small villages with the main highways. “My Government constructed 260 bridges costing over Rs 330 crores, opened 5,500 new schools, upgraded 2,500 schools, setup scores of ITIs, Polytechnics and Degree Colleges in addition of establishing two Universities”, he said.
NC to retain 3 candidates
Srinagar: The ruling National Conference will repeat its candidates in three parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir Valley. While party president and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah will contest from Srinagar, incumbent MPs Mehboob Beg and Sharifuddin Shariq will contest from Anantnag in south Kashmir and Baramulla in north Kashmir respectively.
The three candidates had cruised through the 2009 parliamentary polls as coalition candidates supported by the Congress. The NC had fielded its candidates in Kashmir constituencies while the Congress candidates had contested from two Jammu constituencies. The NC and Congress have not decided on pre-poll alliance. This is indicating to chinks in the coalition and is likely to change the political equations in the embattled State.
“As long as I am alive I will contest from Srinagar”, Farooq Abdullah said while announcing the names of party candidates. The NC candidates face tough challenge from Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which has established a strong base in rural Kashmir.
The PDP is likely to field former Finance Minister Tariq Hamid Qarra against Abdullah while party president Mehbooba Mufti will contest from south Kashmir. PNS