RS polls direct fight between NC, BJP
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 14: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that abstaining from the upcoming Rajya Sabha vote will help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and urged the secular parties to support the National Conference (NC) candidates.
Speaking to reporters after chairing a review meeting with the Baramulla district administration, Omar said that not voting for the NC would amount to helping the saffron party.
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Commenting on Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone’s announcement that his party would abstain from voting, Omar said: “Who will favour from that, you know that well. What his compulsions are, I can’t say.”
“But if Sajad really wants to defeat the BJP, he should vote for us. By staying out, he will only help the BJP. How can he blame us? He should rather look at what he is doing,” he added. Click here to watch video
The Chief Minister said that in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, the contest was now a direct fight between the NC and the BJP and urged parities to vote for the NC candidates.
“We want the BJP to lose all three seats, and for that, we need support from everyone. All four candidates spoke today and urged the PDP, AIP, and Sajad Lone to vote in their favour,” he said.
Responding to allegations that the NC had refused to offer a seat to the Congress and was indirectly “favouring” the BJP, Omar said that if that were true, the NC would not have fielded its candidate for the fourth seat.
“We could have compromised then. We made every attempt to ensure that the Congress contested the fourth seat because it was a sure-shot win for them. They decided against it, and only after that we decide to field our candidate. We are still hopeful of a win,” he said.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the NC had wanted the Congress to contest the fourth seat after analysing the numbers and composition of the House, which, he said, showed a clear possibility of victory for the Congress.
“Because PDP is not our ally but is part of the INDIA bloc. For the PDP, it would have been easy to vote for Congress instead of the NC. Now that Congress is not in the fray, we urge the PDP – on Congress’ behalf- to vote for us and not abstain,” he said.
Omar appealed to all parties not to abstain and to vote for the NC “to prove they are against the BJP.” “Because it is between the NC and the BJP – there is no one else. Not voting for the NC would mean helping the BJP.”
On the upcoming bypolls for the Budgam and Nagrota Assembly constituencies, the Chief Minister said, “We will decide our candidates and talk to people about what we have achieved in the last one year and what we intend to do in the next four years.”
Asked about the situation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Omar said, “What is happening there does not affect J&K in any way. But we still want peace across the entire subcontinent.”
Regarding the administrative review, Omar said he congratulated the district administration for its good performance in both Capex and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and Union Territory Capex funds.
“There are still a few months left during which more works can be taken up. I have urged them to ensure greater progress and speed up the pace of execution till December so that less money lapses,” he added.
Meanwhile, continuing with his district review meetings to personally evaluate development initiatives in various districts, Omar visited Baramulla today and chaired a high-level meeting to assess the district’s progress in execution of works and implementation of various government schemes
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Ministers Sakina Itoo, Javed Rana, Javed Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma, DDC Chairperson Safina Beig, legislators from Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan, Uri, and Wagoora-Kreeri, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, besides Heads of Departments and senior district officers.
Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Minga Sherpa, gave a presentation on sector-wise achievements and ongoing projects, highlighting progress in key areas including power, health, education, rural development, agriculture and allied sectors, among others.
The Chief Minister was apprised about the progress achieved in respect of utilization of funds under the District capex.
During his visit, the Chief Minister also through virtual mode e-inaugurated several developmental projects completed at a total cost of Rs 5.25 crore. Some of the major projects inaugurated were the construction of a 1×6.3 MVA Receiving Station at Kalantra (Rs 1.84 crore), a 33/11 KV 1×10 MVA Receiving Station at Bharahampora, Rafiabad (Rs 2.73 crore) and development of footpaths along the National Highway from Post Office to Carriappa Park in Baramulla (Rs0.67 crore) executed by the Urban Development Department.
The meeting also held detailed discussions on constituency-wise development priorities. The Chief Minister assured the public representatives that all genuine demands have been noted and will be considered on merit.
Issuing key directions, the Chief Minister instructed the identification of alternate land for the Industrial Estate and to facilitate the expansion of GMC Baramulla. He also directed to initiate the process for handing over TRC Salamabad to the Tourism Department, formulation of DPRs for the Drung Reservoir, multi-level car parking at Tangmarg, and completion of the Tangmarg Administrative Complex.
The Chief Minister further directed that joint exercise be conducted by the Forest and R&B Departments for developing an alternate road to Gulmarg via Baba Reshi. He also emphasized the preparation of a DPR for the Administrative Complex, Baramulla, decongestion and expansion of the Fruit Mandi through coordinated efforts of the Horticulture and Housing Departments, and the creation of a district-level land bank to support future developmental projects.
Emphasizing youth empowerment, Omar stressed on making Mission YUVA more vibrant, with J&K Bank playing a proactive role in promoting youth entrepreneurship.
He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable development, underscoring the importance of inter-departmental coordination and time-bound execution of projects to maximize public benefits.
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