Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 9: Two prominent National Conference and Congress leaders-Chief Minister Omar Abdullah (NC working president) and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress candidate for Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat) shared the dais at a public meeting at Ramsu in Ramban district today and gave a clarion call to the people to defeat “divisive politics” pursued by the BJP and declared that BJP and its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi have no vision for the country.
Though NC and Congress have been contesting Lok Sabha elections together, this was for the first time when Omar shared the dais and addressed joint election rally with any senior Congress leader (Ghulam Nabi Azad). During his four days election campaigning in Rajouri and Poonch districts, Omar had shared dais with local Congress leaders only and not addressed any joint rally with Congress candidate for Jammu Madan Lal Sharma. Mr Azad had campaigned separately for Sharma for four days in Rajouri and Poonch in two phases.
Omar also held Road Shows in favour of Azad at Tikri, Udhampur, Chenani, Batote and Chanderkoot on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway before addressing joint rally with him at Ramsu.
In his tweets and address to the rally, Omar said politicians like Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan should refrain from dragging the Army into the “murky world of divisive communal politics” as unity of soldiers was the biggest strength of the Indian defence forces.
“So politicians like Azam Khan are well advised to refrain from dragging the Army into the murky world of divisive communal politics,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site twitter after Khan’s controversial remarks that a particular community had won the war for India in Kargil generated nationwide controversy.
“The biggest strength of the Indian defence forces hasn’t been their equipment or training, but how people from diverse religions, backgrounds and political beliefs have fought and died shoulder-to-shoulder without any of the aforementioned things becoming a factor,” he added.
Referring to the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil war at an election rally in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on Monday night, Azam Khan had said: “those who fought for victory in Kargil were not Hindu soldiers, in fact the ones who fought for our victory were Muslim soldiers.”
Charging the BJP with trying to “polarize society” with an eye on vote bank politics, Omar said the BJP was bent upon wedging apart the people and divide them to grab power. He called upon the people to read between the lines and ignore the “divisive politics” of the BJP by making NC-Congress candidates victorious.
Describing Mr Azad as “real friend of the people and torchbearer of secular democratic credentials”, the Chief Minister reiterated that Modi is a “culprit” in the eyes of public so far as Gujarat riots are concerned as he had not even apologized or expressed regrets for 2002 riots and, therefore, “didn’t deserve to be the Prime Minister of India”.
Showering praises on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Omar said Rahul symbolized unity and brotherhood of India and is champion of inclusiveness and communal harmony.
“Rahul possessed unblemished characteristic and is true friend of the country and its people. In Rahul, Jammu and Kashmir has found sincere and trusty friend, who has always come forward to help the State in difficult times,” Omar said describing Rahul as right choice for the Prime Ministership.
Mr Azad also came down heavily on BJP and Modi for “unnecessarily abusing Congress all the time from left and right” saying that the BJP did not have any policy for the people of the country
“BJP does not have any national policy, economic policy, external affair policy and also not even any sort of employment policy,” Azad said, adding that every now and then, Modi has not stated even once as to how he would form the Government and perform for betterment of the people.
“If Congress has not done anything, then who has laid thousands of kilometers long rail lines from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Gujarat to Assam? Who has connected thousands of villages with roads, across the country? Who has made numerous four lanes, six lanes and 12 lanes national highway roads besides flyovers throughout the country? Which is the party that has provided employment to at least 13 crore people of the country under MNREGA?” Azad asked.
Lambasting BJP for misleading the people and spreading “false and untrue propaganda” against Congress, Azad said when the BJP fails to deliver it starts exploiting the people on religious lines.
“If BJP continued to pursue its politics on caste and religious lines, the people of the country will give it a befitting reply by forfeiting the deposits of BJP candidates in all 543 Parliamentary seats,” Azad claimed. He also took the local BJP leadership to task saying they have never fulfilled the commitments made to the people.
Asserting that Congress has always protected interests of all sections of the society, Azad said it was due to the efforts of Congress that 73rd amendment of the Indian Constitution was extended in J&K to empower the Panchayats.
“Unlike BJP, Congress does not believe in slogan mongering. Instead of indulging into sloganeering, Congress has always served people with dedication and commitment”, he said and further added that “whatever Congress party committed to the people, it delivered unlike BJP, which always exploit the sentiments of the people during elections and later shelve the issues till next elections.”
“During my tenure as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, I had ensured that all regions and sub-regions should be given equal opportunities of growth and development. I had also ensured that pace of development should not be hampered in those areas where BJP, RSS, Hurriyat/separatists or other groups have following because I tried to give a message that issue of development should be above political considerations”, he said, adding, “as the Chief Minister I tried to set an example of good governance so that every individual irrespective of his/her party affiliations would get equal opportunity of growth, development and empowerment”.
Pointing towards opening of new Medical College in Doda-which is centrally placed, he said that this decision has been taken to provide better health facilities to the residents of mountainous regions of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Gool, Arnas, Banihal, Mahore, Bhaderwah at their door steps. He said that opening of Medical College at Doda would help residents of these regions to get advanced health facilities at their door steps.
Omar came down heavily on BJP Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi and accused the saffron party of polarising the society to nurture their “ideology of communal divide”.
“These Lok Sabha elections have placed India on a crucial crossroad where the people of the country have to decide between two ideologies of communal divide, represented by BJP and Narendra Modi, and the inclusiveness and harmony, symbolised by Rahul Gandhi,” Omar said.
Heaping praise at his ally and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Omar said every vote in favour of NC-Congress candidates in the State will strengthen the roots of communal amity, brotherhood and ensure equal opportunities of growth and development for all sections of the society, irrespective of religion, region or caste.
“Rahul Gandhi symbolises the unity and brotherhood of India and is champion of inclusiveness and communal harmony. He possesses unblemished characteristic and is true friend of the country and its people,” he said.
Taking a dig at BJP, Omar claimed they are “bent upon wedging apart the people and divide them to grab power”.
He criticised Modi for allegedly failing to apologise or even express regret for 2002 Gujarat riots and said he is not suitable to become Prime Minister of a country like India, which is the abode of pluralistic ethos.
The Chief Minister sought the people’s support in favour of NC-Congress candidate from Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency, Ghulam Nabi Azad, describing him a real friend of the people and torchbearer of democratic credentials of the State and the country.
“In Rahul Gandhi, J&K has also found its sincere and trusty friend who has always came forward to help the State to come out of difficulties and he is determined to continue this trait,” Omar said, adding that Rahul will be the right choice for Prime Minister of the country.
The Chief Minister also picked to pieces opposition PDP for fielding its candidates “to help Modi” and to exhibit its friendship and loyalty toward BJP.
Omar claimed the PDP has tactfully fielded candidates in Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda constituencies to divide votes and help communal forces, which unveils “the clandestine liaison and friendship between BJP and PDP”.
“PDP leadership tried their best to browbeat Azad on this count and threatened to topple the Government,” he said adding that Azad did not succumbed to their pressure.
Omar claimed that PDP in the J&K acts as a State unit of BJP.
He said Azad’s victory in the election will be the victory of common masses and that of the State as a whole.
“Azad is the right person to highlight the issues of J&K and help the people particularly living in backward pockets for development and socio-economic welfare,” Omar added.
The NC leader said the PDP can stoop low to any extent and trade every interest of the State and its people for being in limelight not to talk of power. He said this was the party which opposed tooth and nail the historic decision of Ghulam Nabi Azad regarding creation of eight new districts in the State.
“PDP leadership tried their best to browbeat Azad on this count and threatened to topple the Government”, he said and elaborated that Azad did not succumbed to their pressure and exhibited his people-friendly and historic gesture.
Omar claimed that the PDP also could not digest yet another decision taken by NC-Congress coalition Government in the State to create more than 650 administrative units and tried its best to mislead people about this extra-ordinary measure. He said fooling people and flaring up emotions on different issues and polarizing situation to get political benefits is the “trait of both the BJP and the PDP”. He said the fact of the matter is that PDP in the State acts as a State Unit of BJP as is evident by its acts to help Modi and attempt at dividing voters in the State.
Omar said that Azad as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and as the Union Minister has shown his capacity and keenness to bring about revolutionary changes in the development scenario and remained always at the beck and call of people in the hour of need. He said Mr. Azad’s victory in the election will be the victory of common masses and that of the State as a whole.
The elections rally was also addressed by provincial president National Conference Jammu, Devender Singh Rana while various leaders of the NC and Congress were present on the occasion.
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