Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 9: J&K National Conference General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar today questioned opposition parties on their sudden awakening to public issues after a prolonged silence during years of bureaucratic control in Jammu and Kashmir.
He made these comments while presiding over a party functionaries meeting of Block Khanyar A at Nawa E Subah. MLA Hazratbal Salman Ali Sagar was also present in the meeting.
“Where were these self-proclaimed guardians of democracy when the region was run by unelected officials for nearly a decade? Not a murmur was heard from them then. In fact, they seemed far more comfortable attending official parties than standing with the people on the ground,” Sagar said.
He said that the opposition’s current chorus of criticism against Omar Abdullah Govt rings hollow, especially as it targets a democratically elected Government that is actively working to restore dignity, progress, and stability to the beleaguered region. He highlighted that the Omar Abdullah-led administration has taken bold, pro-poor and people-centric measures, which have clearly unsettled those who once found comfort in the corridors of bureaucracy.
“The real discomfort isn’t with policy; it’s with popularity,” he said and added: “The participatory approach adopted by Omar Sahib has given sleepless nights to those who were absent when it mattered most. They now find themselves on shaky ground, and their only response is to create noise.”
“The people have spoken first in the Parliamentary elections, and again in the Legislative Assembly. The rejection of these opposition parties is not accidental; it’s a reflection of their disconnect from real issues and grassroots sentiment,” he said.
Sagar went on to say that while the National Conference has always stood shoulder to shoulder with the people, the opposition parties were often seen rubbing shoulders with bureaucrats, far removed from public concerns. “Suddenly, now that democracy has returned, they’ve found their voices; but only to protect their political turf, not public interest,” he said.
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