Omar rules out Assembly poll with LS elections

Avtar Bhat

JAMMU, Jan 5: Ruling out holding of State Assembly elections along with Lok Sabha polls early this year, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today announced that his Government has full one year yet to complete and it will bring the Kashmiri Hindu Shrines Bill in the Assembly during the budget session.
Addressing a one day convention of Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS) here, Mr Abdullah said his Government is not in a hurry in holding the Assembly elections along with Lok Sabha poll as there is a full year before it and elections will not be held before November this year. Instead of taking the Vote on Account it will have a full budget session and put the Kashmiri Hindu Shrines and Temples Bill in the House for vote, he added.
He said a real picture will come before the people and those opposing the Bill will get exposed. The Chief Minister said his Party has always supported the passage of Temples and Shrines Bill and it was then leader of Opposition, Abdul Rahim Rather who first tabled the Bill in the House.
Maintaining that his Party is committed to passage of the Bill, Mr Abdullah said unfortunately a person who has nothing to do with the Kashmiri Hindu Shrines and Temples wrote letters to UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh that if the Bill was passed a situation akin to 2008 type Amarnath land row will be created.
Referring to YAIKS president R K Bhat’s suggestion that a consensus be created among the community leadership on return and rehabilitation, he said “the same suggestions were given on the Temple Bill and you see its fate”.
Maintaining that he is not the CM with consensus but with majority support, Mr Abdullah said “if majority in the community favours the Bill we will put it in the Assembly for vote and those who oppose it will get exposed”.
Regretting that he had once said that KPs have many leaders, the Chief Minister said that he has come to the conclusion that when his community has also many leaders and he could not stop them how can he oppose the KP leaders.
“Nowadays people take a letter pad, keep lap top before them and declare themselves senior leaders but you have to decide to whom to follow and support” , he added.
He said there are very few leaders who take all along them.
The Chief Minister, while asking the KPs to exercise their franchise in the elections, said vote has a great power as who knew that Arvind Kejriwal could become Chief Minister of Delhi and it was because of the vote power that he took the reigns of Delhi Government in his hands.
Appealing the community to cast their votes in coming elections he urged them to remain vigilant against those who only seeking your vote will not come to see you during the six years of the Government and raise your issues in their meetings.
Without naming any body, Omar Abdullah said that the people who come from different States and sit in guest houses and issue statements on behalf of migrant Pandits despite the fact that they themselves have not tasted the pangs of migration can’t be the leaders of the community.
Mr Abdullah said he had himself been a migrant from 1990 and took refuge in Mumbai for six years and you are leading a refugee life for last 25 years now.
Admitting that the community was forced to leave the Valley as your sense of security was snatched, Chief Minister said that no one will force the community to return and his Government will try to restore your sense of security.
He however admitted that his Government has not succeeded fully till date in restoration of the sense of security of the community. But it will take appropriate steps in this regard, he added. “You (Pandits) have left homes in lakhs. The return of 50 to 100 people that too on employment, cannot be called as return. We cannot pat our backs on that,” he said, adding that “Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits”.
“You have been forced to leave the Kashmir Valley. Nobody can deny it. You were snatched of the sense of security (in Kashmir). Nobody can forcibly take you back to the valley,”.
“…We can only give you a sense of security, and it is endeavour of me and my colleagues that we want to give you the sense of the security. But we have not been successful in this so far. The day I feel that I have done something with regard to it, I will feel I have the right for your honour of a traditional turban,” he said.
“We always keep saying that Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits. Well said Nasir Aslam Wani (NC leader) that a garden is not a garden which does not have different kinds of flowers…” Omar said.
To prove his point, Omar said, “In Srinagar’s Tulip Garden, there are only one type of flowers. There are tulips in March and from April it is closed and rest of the year, nobody comes there. Compare it with Shalimar, Nishat, Chashma Shahee and other Mughal gardens, where there are tulips, roses, and other kinds of flowers…There is beauty with mountains in background. This is the situation of the Kashmir Valley.”
“People of your community keep coming but that vacuum could not be filled,” he said. By the return of a few with jobs the process has not begun.
“The real return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley will start once they as per their wish will return to those areas from where they had left 25 years ago, and I will accept that it is real start of their return and rehabilitation,” he said.
Omar said he would try to create palatable environments for their dignified and honourable return to their native land. He also said he would intensify his efforts to seek better and more socio-economic packages from the Centre for the safe and secure return of Kashmiri Pandits.
Claiming that the situation has improved to a great extent and there was a discernible change in Valley on ground despite the fact that the attacks on security forces were more during 2013 in comparison to 2012.
Omar Abdullah said security forces were targeted more in 2013 than the previous year, though overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir improved and the activities of militants declined.
“When we compare the security situation of 2012 with 2013, security forces were targeted more in 2013 than 2012,”.
Omar said, “Irrespective of that, there has been a dip in the activities of militants in 2013. Our attempt would be keep the situation like this.”
The Chief Minister said, “To say that there has been no change for good in the security situation is also wrong. There has been betterment in the situation.
Chief Minster said till return of community to Kashmir Valley materializes fully his Government will provide some concession to the community here.
He said that the Jagti was not constructed to stop return as some one had said don’t provide the concessions to the community at Jammu as they would not like to go back.
He said those who are unwilling to return they will not go back even if provided presidential House. He said on the power issue of Jagti township some misconception was created as Government wanted that the people who afford to use ACs should support Government by paying power tariff while those who are totally dependent on relief will be given the concessions. He however assured the community that in power, water, roads etc Government will provide some relief to it.
Meanwhile, Omar presented the ‘Gash Taruk-2014’ award to Ramesh Hangloo, chief of Radio Sharda, a community based FM radio station for the promotion of culture, tradition and Kashmiri music in the State.
“I am happy to receive the award from the Chief Minister. I had dream to serve the community in fields of art, culture, tradition and Kashmiri music, so I launched Radio Sharda,” Hangloo said.
The Chief Minister was crowned with “Dastar”, a special headgear of Kashmiri Pandits at the YAIKS function.
Swami Kumarji crowned Omar, his provincial president Nasir Wani, and National Conference MLC Vijay Bakaya, K P Sabha chief, K K Khosa and YAIKS president R K Bhat.
“I feel I will have the rights to this honour (of Dastar) when I will ensure a sense of security for dignified and honourable return and rehabilitation of the community members to the Valley,” Omar said. The Chief Minister also released the YAIKS logo.
Earlier, speaking, Nasir Aslam Wani said that Kashmir was incomplete without Pandits, Muslims and Sikhs and this was the reality of life in Kashmir.
He said many steps were taken by the Government in settling the problems of the community.
Vijay Bakaya in his address appealed the community to participate in elections by ensuring the enrolment of their names in voter lists. He highlighted the problems of displaced over aged youth and said some mechanism needed to be created through which a via media for their sustenance is created. He highlighted the steps taken by Omar Abdullah Government in redressing the problems of displaced people and stressed that the problems faced by Jagti township be solved.
President YAIKS, R K Bhat, while terming the convention a history said that there are long term and short term issues before the community. While long term issue is return and rehabilitation in Valley on which a consensus among the community organizations needs to be created, the rehabilitation of unemployed youth by providing them Government jobs was the short term measure initiated by his organization.
He said since Omar Abdullah Government took reigns, 1450 posts were filled while the process for remaining posts has also been started.
He however stressed on providing jobs to 221 over aged youth in whose favour court ahs also given a verdict.
K P Sabha chief K K Khosa said that his organization fully favours return of the community with honour and dignity to its homes and hearths. He said that Government has to find the means for the same as 60 percent migrants have sold their property in Valley. He expressed the hope that 2014 will prove a watershed for the community.

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