Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Nov 15: National Conference (NC) President and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today said the results of the Budgam bypolls were “a lesson rather than a setback.”
Speaking with reporters here, Abdullah said the NC would introspect and address its shortcomings, emphasising the need to understand what went wrong.
The NC president added that the result should be taken positively, as every “defeat shows where improvement is needed.”
He said the party was “not afraid of what happened,” adding that workers had performed well and that wins and losses are part of electoral politics. “We will set things right,” he said.
He also accused the PDP of having “damaged J&K”, adding that people would not forget it.
Referring to Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Abdullah said, “Aga is from NC; whatever he did, he is to be held answerable. If he is the MP, it is because of NC, and he should strengthen the party.”
Commenting on the Bihar elections, Abdullah said elections come and go. “Congress used to get 400 seats when Rajiv was there. What happened after that? It keeps happening; elections come and go.”
The NC chief also called for a thorough and time-bound investigation into the accidental blast at Nowgam Police Station that claimed nine lives.
He described the incident as a “serious lapse” in the handling of sensitive explosive material.
He said the explosives recovered during the ongoing investigation should have been examined by “trained specialists” instead of being handled “without expert oversight”.
Calling the incident a “mistake”, Abdullah said those who understand explosives better should have been consulted first.
Instead, he said, the material was handled “without proper expertise”, resulting in the loss of nine innocent lives.
The NC President said Kashmir was still reeling from the recent Delhi blast case, where Kashmiri residents once again found themselves “under suspicion”.
He said Kashmiris were still facing “accusations” and questioned when others would accept that they “are Indians and not responsible for such incidents”.
He asked why people from Assam or Chhattisgarh are not blamed when similar tragedies occur there.
“We do not know why peace remains elusive. We have never been with terrorism. We are with peace and want to progress,” he said.
He also claimed that “nobody has briefed the CM” despite an elected Government being in place.
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