Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 5: Dispelling impression created by his yesterday’s statement of “Modi effect” that the National Conference was coming close to BJP-led NDA, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today that the NC wouldn’t have any relationship with BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, BJP or NDA saying the NC was ready to sit out of power for years but will not deceive Congress headed UPA.
Omar also took on major opposition party-the PDP for holding peace rally in Srinagar yesterday saying the PDP leadership had issued statements from closed doors when the people were facing bullets on the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) but now when the situation was normal on the borders they held a peace rally in Srinagar. He said the NC leaders including he himself braved bullets to meet the people on the borders and boost their morale during Pakistan shelling and firing.
Speaking to reporters and addressing NC leaders and workers at Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan, the NC Headquarters here this afternoon a day after the Government shifted its seat to winter capital of the State for six months, Omar said the NC has held hand of the UPA with honesty and will never change the boat to join the NDA or the BJP.
“You can take it in writing from me. We will not have any relation with BJP, NDA or Narendra Modi (the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate). We will sit out of power for years but will not deceive UPA,” Omar said.
“We have held the hand of UPA with honesty. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah (former Chief Minister and grandfather of Omar) always said do not deceive anybody even if you are deceived. We will accept deceit, but will never deceive anybody,” he said and charged that the Opposition was waiting NC to leave UPA and added that “let them sit and wait. That day will never come. We will never deceive people of Jammu and Kashmir and our political ideology”.
Explaining his party’s earlier alliance with NDA, the Chief Minister said, “We had extended our hand to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. If Atal would have been NDA president even today, it (alliance) may have been possible.”
“Atal-like people are not born every day. We had extended our hand of alliance to him. Don’t remain in the misconception that we are keeping our doors open for others. We were part of NDA when we fought elections here, in Jammu, against them, and won,” he said.
Omar said: “during yesterday’s press conference at Civil Secretariat I was asked if there is a wave created by Modi. I said I can’t see any wave. A wave happened in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi won by a huge majority in Parliament elections.”
Similarly, he added, in 1996, Dr Farooq Abdullah, along with his colleagues fought elections and got two-third majority, which the people of Jammu and Kashmir gave to him. “That thing is called a wave.”
Asserting that his comments about the ‘Modi effect’ were misinterpreted as coming close to the BJP, the NC working president said: “there will be `an effect’ of Modi in the coming elections, which will be seen on the cadres of BJP, but there will be no wave”.
Without naming Modi and Gujarat riots, Omar said: “we do not board boats, which bring death and destruction. We do not board such boats in which there are people, who have tormented people”.
Lashing out at the opposition PDP, Omar wondered that what the PDP leaders were doing when the people of LoC and IB were facing mortars and bullets and suddenly now when the firing has ceased and the borders are near normal, the opposition party has started holding peace rallies.
“The PDP patron (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, former Chief Minister) is fashioned to pretend that he is not power hungry. It’s sheer hypocrisy and a blatant lie. I am in politics and want power to serve the people, to mitigate their difficulties, satiating their developmental needs, wiping out tears from their eyes and ensuring they enjoy the fruit of prosperous life,” Omar said.
The Chief Minister claimed the PDP has developed a trait of escaping the responsibilities when in power and crying hoarse over the solution of Kashmir issue and repealing of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) when out of power.
Taking a dig at Mufti’s claim over solving the Kashmir issue once his party gets 40 Assembly seats, Omar said that he had offered Sayeed the support of his 28 MLAs to show it happened on ground.
Charging the PDP with indulging in doublespeak, he said it was the NC, which speaks in one language in Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and New Delhi. Advising PDP against indulging in double-speak, he said: “the people are sagacious enough to read between the lines.”
Asserting that the people want good governance and performance, he said the National Conference has been able to deliver that in the State during its first five years of governance, which would be completed on January 5, 2014, Omar said the Government would fulfill all its promises when it goes before the people again after over an year for Assembly polls.
“We don’t believe in populism as we prefer to remain out of power rather than giving false hopes to people. Most of the time our party has remained out of power and we don’t scream, like others do, when out of power,” he asserted.
Omar claimed the achievements and performance of his government during the past five years has been extraordinary and urged the party cadres to make people aware about the policies and programmes of the State Government at the ground level as Parliament elections are approaching.
“We have very good achievements during about five years but you have to apprise the people about them. The people should know what the National Conference has done for them,” he said referring to the party cadre.
He claimed NC is the only party having presence in every nook and corner of the State.
“There are people who want to disturb peace and harmony by creating wedge between different segments of the society and we have to maintain vigil against them,” he said while referring to the post-Kishtwar reaction in Rajouri, Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts. He added that his Government will alienate such forces and not allow them to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere.
In response to a question on Indian batting maestro reaching the end of his career in Test cricket with second last match (of his career) beginning in Kolkata tomorrow, Omar said he shared a special bond with Tendulkar, who will retire on November 18, as their children were born on the same day in a Mumbai hospital.
“You can not replace Sachin Tendulkar — We will win matches — but Sachin Tendulkar like personality cannot be replaced in cricket,” Omar said.
Recollecting the special association with the cricket legend, Omar said: “there are two moments that I will remember for life. Sachin’s daughter and my eldest son were born on the same day, in the same hospital in Mumbai.
“Our hospital rooms were next to each other. That time no one knew me. I had not entered politics. But everyone knew Sachin Tendulkar.”
Omar further said: “when we went for birth registration, he was standing in front of me. While leaving, I just congratulated him, and he thanked me and left. I am sure he might not remember this, but I remember it very well.”
The Chief Minister said: “I had met him once then I was MoS External Affairs — and he had come to South Africa to play a match — our High Commissioner had hosted a dinner for him.
“I was also invited — I got some time to spend with him — I will not forget that day because one hardly gets a chance to sit near him and talk to him like this.”
On Sachin’s last test match and his retirement on November 18, Omar said: “it is impossible to imagine that such an important factor, who has made cricket popular as it is on the world map, will be playing his last test match in few days from now.”
“I doubt whether India or the world will ever produce another Sachin Tendulkar — but I do hope that Sachin will use his immense talent to try and develop more cricketing talents in India.”
Omar said Sachin has an important role in the Rajya Sabha as MP. “I hope he will use his wealth of cricketing experience to benefit the game of cricket and I wish him all the very best for future.”
On questions about felicitating Tendulkar in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister said: “we have not thought over the issue — We will send him invite through you — he shall visit Jammu and Kashmir — we will like to felicitate him — if he wishes we will make him perform darshan at cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi ji.”
Omar also wished for the success of India’s maiden Mars Mission and said the knowledge we gain from the mission would benefit the space programme.
Responding to queries on the mission, which was launched today, Omar said, “I am waiting for the day when India succeeds in the mission. That will be the day when I think we have truly arrived (in space programme).”
Calling the mission a major challenge, he said only few countries had launched a Mars mission. “Mars is a new frontier for our scientific community. It is obviously a major challenge,” he said.
Welcoming the Chief Minister and the members of his Council of Ministers in the winter capital, NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana hoped that the Government will get engaged in carrying forward the mission of development and empowerment of people. He described the Panchayat elections as one of the remarkable achievements of the present dispensation, saying this has involved the people at grass roots level in decision making.
Mr Rana also dwelt on the revolutionary measures like Right to Information and Public Services Guarantee Acts, saying these are the measures aiming at empowering the people and making the administration responsive.
He exuded confidence that the people friendly government will continue to devote itself towards mitigating the problems of the people.
Mr Rana recalled that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was quick to act during Kishtwar violence and border tensions. He recalled the efforts of Mr Abdullah in defusing the border tensions by personally visiting the forward areas during shelling and firing from Pakistan. He said it was the Chief Minister, who had directed for immediately defusing Kishtwar crisis and restore normalcy.
Follow our WhatsApp channel