Targets Mehbooba for U-turn on PM, garbage remarks
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 7: Former Chief Minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah today called for decisive mandate to National Conference in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir for return of single party Government era in the State, which had disappeared after 2002 saying experiments of coalition Governments haven’t worked well.
Omar also came down heavily on People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for describing her former party colleagues as “garbage” and U-turn on her stand on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying she used to shower all kind of praises on Modi when she was enjoying power with the BJP and now she had been saying that the Prime Minister has failed (to come up to expectations).
Omar was addressing the gathering at Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan, the headquarters of the National Conference to welcome PDP leader Mehboob Iqbal and Bhaderwah Municipal Committee president, Dr Shahid Mougal into the National Conference along with their large number of supporters.
“There should be a single party Government, which works for all regions and religions. In 1996-2002 when there was National Conference Government alone in the State, massive development took place in all three regions. Unfortunately, thereafter, the coalition era set-in,” Omar recalled and called upon the people to give decisive mandate to the National Conference this time in the Assembly elections, for stability, progress and al-round development.
In 1996, National Conference president, Dr Farooq Abdullah had headed single party National Conference Government with two-third majority but thereafter, next three Governments were in coalition. In 2002, there was PDP-Congress coalition Government while in 2008, it was National Conference-Congress coalition. However, in 2015, the BJP came to power for the first time with the PDP as both parties headed coalition for a little over three years before the BJP opted out of the Government.
“Six years of National Conference Government from 1996-2002 were an era of development,” Omar said, batting for formation of National Conference Government again in the State.
Omar said he was shocked to read PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s comments describing her former party colleagues as ‘garbage”.
Mentioning Mehbooba’s statement calling upon the youth to join the PDP as all “garbage” was gone (a reference towards many party leaders quitting the PDP), Omar lamented the remarks saying such comments shouldn’t be made against the leaders with whom you have worked.
“I was shocked to hear such comments,” he said, adding: “This speaks volumes about lowest depths of political discourse”. He asserted that large scale desertions in the PDP are reflective of the anger among people for the miseries caused to them during the past three and half years.
Omar also criticized Mehbooba for her complete U-turn on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“While enjoying power with the BJP, Mehbooba had been saying that Modi is better than Atal Behari Vajpayee and that whatever Jammu and Kashmir will get, it will get from Vajpayee. Today, she has been charging Modi with failure,” Omar said, castigating his political rival.
“Today, Mehbooba is seeing everything bad in the BJP, in whose company her Government inflicted scars and bruises to the public psyche, which are hard to be filled”, the former Chief Minister said and reiterated commitment of the National Conference in serving the people single-mindedly if given the mandate.
He said Mehbooba’s ‘toffee and milk tag to youngsters of the Valley’ is still haunting the people. He also took the BJP to task for neglecting development and alienating the people of the State.
“Disillusionment among the people with the BJP is so grave that even its MP from Ladakh and several Corporators in the LAHDC have deserted the party,” he pointed out.
Asserting that people were completely dejected with PDP-BJP misrule in the State for over three years, the National Conference vice president said, the people are now waiting for early elections to send terse message to the Centre for thrusting “insensitive” and anti-poor PDP-BJP Government” in the State.
He said the National Conference was getting overwhelming response in all three regions of the State and expressed confidence that the party will give stable and responsive Government to fulfill people’s urges and aspirations.
“The wing of change has started blowing in Kashmir and from Chenab Valley, it will reach Kathua on Punjab border to bring the National Conference to power,” Omar declared.
National Conference general secretary Ali Mohammed Sagar and provincial president Devender Singh Rana also addressed the workers and leaders.
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