Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Jan 28: Making a scathing attack on PDP-BJP coalition, Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today cautioned Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti that coalition partner of her party will try to scrap the Article 370 granting special Constitutional position to the State.
Participating in the demand of grants for Departments under Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah said “those who among us think that BJP has given up issue of Article 370 are mistaken. The BJP has understood that it can’t use Legislature for scrapping Article 370 but it will do it through judiciary.”
He also warned the Government that the issue may snowball into a big controversy in future “and so I caution you before hand’’.
The NC leader, while pointing to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, said “Government has been accusing us of making issues out of non issues which is not a fact as we don’t make issues out of non issues but issues always come from Government side’’.
Omar also took a dig at the Coalition Government the way it fought the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act in the court of Law.
“We were concerned about SARFAESI Act and we think if you follow the same policy regarding Article 35A the State would be put to problem.
“When you are spending crores of rupees to repair and reconstruct homes please spend some lakhs of rupees to put on job a good lawyer to fight the case and don’t be dependent on your Advocate General and Advocate’’, Omar said. Otherwise you will face the same problem as you faced in SARFAESI Act, he added.
Lambasting Mehbooba Government on transfer policy, he said Sartaj Madni and Sajjad Mufti are involved in transfers in South Kashmir and “both happen to be in your (CM’s) relation’’. When there is political interference often the situation worsens and I never did it during my tenure despite the fact that my people were annoyed with me on this account some times’’.
Omar asked Chief Minister to restore faith and confidence of Chief Secretary and Director General Police (DGP) in the Government as you need them most whenever there is unrest so they should have faith in the Government. “For this you should fight with your own people,” he added.
Criticizing the Government for not fulfilling the Agenda of Alliance (AoA), asked “why you failed to remove the regional imbalances as you did nothing on this account though you have made a promise in this regard?”
Omar accused coalition of not working on Agenda of Alliance (AoA) but on doctrine of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and this doctrine is being implemented in the State.
Referring to Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA), he said “PDP was accusing us of not implementing it during our tenure but what you did in your two years of rule is evident”?
He said highest number of security forces jawans and militants were killed in 2016 after 2008 and “if you claim that situation is normal then why so many killings of security forces jawans.”
Accusing the Government of total failure in containing corruption, he stressed on strengthening Information Commission and Vigilance Commission. During two years only confusion was witnessed in governance and administration, he added.
“We never questioned the Agenda of Alliance nor its content, Omar said, adding “but we want its delivery. What is the fate of power projects and E tendering started by my Government’’?
There is nowhere transparency in the system, he said, adding more efforts are needed to monitor the working of departments. He wanted to know the results of coalition Government in last two years and asked is the working of departments being measured somewhere.
Omar said it is admitted that unrest created problems on development front but pay attention to institutions. “We expect officers to work but when officers are not themselves confident that they will remain at a particular place for some time what can be expected from them’’, he said.
Referring to recent allegation made by MLA Sopore during the grants of Rural Development Department Omar Abdullah said that the MLA disclosed that 12 times BDO was changed in 18 months. “Your Government made 2100 transfers in two years’’, he added.
He said doctors are transferred without substitutes and Medical Superintendents are not confident about their tenure. “When a Chief Secretary is not safe as every time we hear that CS will be changed so how can others’’, he added.
Maintaining that giving an able administration is the duty of Government, Omar cautioned Chief Minister not to involve local versus non local as this way you can’t work properly and functioning of the Government will be difficult.
He wanted to know what happened to Fast Track Recruitment. He also wanted to seek a report from Government that how many posts were filled under fast track recruitment and how many are vacant in the State.
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