Suhail Bhat
Srinagar June 18: National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah today criticized the Central Government for delaying the restoration of Statehood and failing to conduct by-polls for the Rajya Sabha and Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
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Addressing party workers in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, Abdullah accused the Centre of deliberate Constitutional neglect and injustice towards the people of Kashmir. “We are not cattle or other animals but human beings, and we deserve our rights. If we are part of this country, why is step-motherly treatment being meted out to us?” he asked.
The NC chief questioned the Government’s decision to withhold elections for four vacant Rajya Sabha seats and two unfilled Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, while bypolls have been conducted in other States. “They [BJP] have kept the Constitution aside,” he said.
The Budgam Assembly seat fell vacant after NC vice-president Omar Abdullah resigned one of the two seats he won in last year’s elections. The Nagrota seat became vacant following the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana in October last year.
Abdullah accused the BJP of ignoring the democratic rights of J&K residents while holding power at the Centre. He also expressed concern over rising “anti-Muslim sentiment” in the country. “Their houses, shops, and mosques are being demolished to weaken them,” he said.
Referring to the aftermath of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, the former Chief Minister noted that while Kashmiris united in condemnation, “our children and shawl vendors were beaten and assaulted in other parts of the country.”
Abdullah cautioned people against fraudsters falsely claiming to offer jobs in the name of the NC. “Such agents harmed the party in 1996, and they are trying again,” he warned.
The NC chief also raised alarm over environmental degradation, blaming unchecked soil and sand mining. “We have destroyed rivers, and now water pumps stand above the water level, rendering them useless and creating drinking and irrigation water problems,” he said.
Calling for unity and trust in elected representatives, he said, “We only fear Allah, not anyone else. If our legislators win, it is first by His blessing, then by the will of the people. The Government has been in place for eight months and a lot of things will change in the next five years. How long will they delay Statehood?”
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