‘Tourist CM’ more interested in travelling
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 19: Leader of the Opposition (Lop) in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma, today accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of running politics on a “false narrative” by blaming Delhi while failing to work on the ground.
In an exclusive interview with the Excelsior, Sharma termed Omar a “tourist Chief Minister” more interested in traveling outside the J&K than working on the ground. He accused Omar of misleading the people of J&K with false promises and failing to address even basic issues.
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Sharma said Omar was betraying people by making promises he knew could not be fulfilled after the creation of the Union Territory in 2019. “When they made their manifesto, did they make it with their eyes closed? Did they not know this was a Union Territory? Then why did they sell false dreams to people? They should come to the ground and apologize,” he said.
He alleged Omar spends more time outside the region. “He will go to West Bengal, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Cochin, and now he is packing for Paris. He has nothing to do with people here. It is very unfortunate that such a tourist has been made CM,” he said.
Asked about Omar’s claim that there is no national highway, no scheme, and no tourism plan, Sharma dismissed it, saying national highways are under the Central Government.
“Which state owns a national highway? Fix your state highways and link roads instead of blaming Delhi. Did you ever meet the Prime Minister or Railway Minister to push for cargo trains for apple growers? Instead, you were roaming around Cochin and Chennai,” he said. Sharma credited the LG administration for starting cargo services that “saved some apples.”
He also accused Abdullah of failing during natural disasters. Referring to floods in August, Sharma said Omar was only briefly present. “On 24-26 August, there was a flood in Jammu. He stood there for 15 minutes and then took a boat ride in Pampore while people were without drinking water for a month,” he alleged.
When asked about the opposition not playing the same role as before on issues like electricity or gas, Sharma said the opposition is raising people’s issues effectively.
“What will the opposition do? They only raise their voice, but Omar Abdullah has made it his job to blame Delhi. He does not work as a CM; he only plays drama and gives speeches. People are still struggling for water, electricity, and roads,” he said.
LoP added that governance is suffering because of unnecessary transfers and reshuffles. “Departments are changing officers, doctors, and engineers, but real issues are ignored. The cry of the people should have been addressed first,” he a
Sharma said that Omar Abdullah’s politics revolves around creating a “false narrative” and shifting blame on Delhi. “He has only one issue to imprint in people’s minds: that Delhi is not letting them work. But the truth is, he never went to the ground. He betrayed people and is still living off the name of Sheikh Abdullah,” he said.
BJP leader commented on the detention of MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), saying it appeared to be “a conflict between the local administration and law enforcement.”
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