LOP dares CM to seek fresh mandate on statehood
‘Outsourcing places future of meritorious youth in contractors’ hands’ Excelsior Correspondent Srinagar, Sept 1: Ahead of the Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) Secretariat gherao, the BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma today dared Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to resign...
‘Outsourcing places future of meritorious youth in contractors’ hands’
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 1: Ahead of the Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) Secretariat gherao, the BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma today dared Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to resign and seek a fresh mandate from the people on restoration of statehood.
Sharma told reporters here that the NC is using the statehood issue to shift the political focus away from unemployment and other concerns facing people in J&K.
“If you are left with any moral values and ethics, resign once and fight the election in the name of statehood. People of J&K will show you your place,” he said.
“If the CM has left with any dignity, he must leave all the issues and state that these issues cannot be resolved until the statehood is restored and then fight the elections for statehood,” he said, adding that Omar should “fight it alone”.
Sharma said that the NC would not survive the next election and urged the Chief Minister to seek votes directly on the statehood plank.
The LOP alleged that the NC Government had filled around 25,000 vacancies through outsourcing.
“When the vacancies were filled in the name of daily wagers and contractuals, those vacancies did not see any regular jobs. In the same way, NC has filled these 25,000 vacancies through outsourcing,” he alleged.
Sharma said that the outsourcing has placed the future of meritorious youth in the hands of private contractors.
“Contractors are appointing doctors, para-medics. They do not see any merit but favoritism from the NC,” he alleged.
The LOP recalled the NC’s election promises, including 200 units of free electricity, not installing power meters, 10 kg of ration, one lakh jobs, and restoration of Article 370 and Article 35-A, and said the party had now narrowed its political focus to statehood.
“You fought elections on these issues and now you are confining it to statehood,” he said.
Defending the BJP’s agitation, Sharma said the opposition had a constitutional right to protest on issues affecting the public and maintained that the outsourcing issue directly affected around 25,000 young people.
“CM cannot tell lies to people and dilute the issue of job outsourcing. The Constitution gives us the right to protest because we are the opposition and we have raised the issue which affects the 25,000 youth of J&K,” he said.
Sharma warned that the NC’s decision to counter the BJP’s Secretariat protest by gheraoing BJP offices could further anger unemployed youth, saying the BJP’s agitation was focused on their employment concerns.
”This is unfortunate. The BJP had announced to protest at the Secretariat on the major issue of youth, job outsourcing. To dilute this, the NC has announced the gherao of BJP offices.”
The NC, in a post on X, said it would “peacefully gherao” BJP headquarters in Srinagar and Jammu, demanding accountability for promises made by the Union Government in Parliament and before the Supreme Court of India.
“Our demands are clear: constitutional guarantees, restoration of statehood, clearance of the reservation file, and justice for the people of J&K,” the party said.
“The mandate of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is not a blank cheque. It must be respected, not taken for granted,” it added.
