Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 18: Former Union Minister and National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah today targeted Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat for repeated war rhetoric and called upon him to take care of war widows, who, he lamented, were living in worst conditions. He called upon the Centre to set up Commission to study condition of the families of martyrs and promised a Commission in the State, when his party was voted to power.
Farooq also took on PDP and BJP Government charging the PDP with indulging in backdoor appointments and the BJP with neglecting kin of martyrs even as he reiterated that it was not possible for India now to take back Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) as Pakistan possessed atom bombs.
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Addressing people after grand reception accorded to him at Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan on his re-election as National Conference president, Dr Abdullah, without naming a Minister of Uttar Pradesh Government, took serious exception to threats hurled to a particular community for voting in favour of the BJP.
“You have already created one Pakistan. Now, I want to ask you, how many more Pakistans you will create. Do you want to divide India further?”, he asked and said it was Constitutional right of the people to decide whom they vote.
He said NC stand for united India and will fight such forces, who were trying to divide people on communal lines.
Farooq lamented that not even a single Minister of the State Government including the BJP visited the resident of Sohan Lal, an Army jawan from Nagrota, who was martyred in Manipur. “Only Army officers visited the family,” he said, adding that entire Government of Himachal Pradesh attended funeral of Sohan Lal’s colleague from that State, who was also killed in Manipur.
Targeting the PDP with resorting to backdoor appointments in the Government, Farooq claimed that a meeting of the PDP workers was held at Anantnag with Government officers in which they (the officers) were directed to appoint the party workers in Government departments.
“You are accountable to the people…what answer you would give to the God and the people by depriving educated employed youth of their right to jobs by recruiting political workers,” the NC president asked.
Batting for autonomy and regional autonomy for the State, Farooq charged the PDP with surrendering whatever autonomy Jammu and Kashmir had.
“The PDP used to talk of self-rule. But to stay in power, they implemented the GST and today the State has now powers. For every decision, the State had to knock the doors of GST Council. They have surrendered whatever autonomy the State had,” Farooq said and recalled that during his tenure from 1996 to 2002, several economic decisions like waiving of fines to secure tax arrears were initiated.
“Yes, I say it that PoK belongs to them (Pakistan). Are they (Pakistan) wearing bangles? They also have atom bombs. Do you want us to be killed by them? You are sitting in palaces, think about the poor people living in the border areas, who are bombed daily,” Farooq said reiterating his asserting that it was not easy now to take back PoK.
He recalled that India had surrendered even Haji Peer, which it had captured during 1965 war.
“Through Haji Peer, the distance of Poonch to Uri would have been reduced to two to three hours. An agreement was held at Tashkent (Russia) between India and Pakistan in the presence of Russia, where Haji Peer was returned. Did they (the then Government) asked National Conference before returning Haji Peer. No. They returned it on their own,” he lamented.
Again, he said, it was the then Prime Minister (Atal Bihari Vajpayee), who had during Kargil war, openly said that India wouldn’t violate sanctity of the Line of Control (LoC).
“Today, the same party says, we will take back PoK. They are burning my effigies…raising slogans against me…targeting me. If they have guts, let them pick up gun and fight to take back PoK,” Farooq said and mentioned that some people have also taken him to the Court on the issue.
Referring to autonomy, Dr Abdullah said, his party was neither asking for `azadi’ (independence) nor Pakistan but only autonomy, which was enshrined in the Constitution of India in the form of Article 370.
“We are asking nothing from Pakistan or China. We are just asking for autonomy, which is our Constitutional right. Instead, they (the BJP Government) wanted to remove Article 35A. I want to tell the party with 26 MLAs (a reference towards BJP) that the people of Jammu will be worst affected if Article 35A was revoked as the outsiders would capture land here,” the National Conference president said.
Farooq asked the Centre to set up a Commission to look into the condition of war widows and table a report in Parliament.
He also asked Army chief General Bipin Rawat to look into the condition of these widows before talking about war.
“I want to ask the Centre to constitute a Commission to look into the condition of the widows of those soldiers who sacrifice their lives for the country,” the former Chief Minister said.
He demanded that a report of the Commission be tabled in Parliament for necessary action.
“I know what is happening (with the families of the slain soldiers). When they get compensation, fight erupts within the house that this money does not go outside and attempts are being made to force the widow of the soldier to marry someone in the family or oppressed,” Dr Abdullah said.
He said it was the responsibility of the Army chief to know the welfare of the families of the fallen soldiers, being their “father”.
“Rawat, I want to say to you because you are their father. Try to know what is going on with them, wherever they live in India, ask them and prepare a report and table it in Parliament. And then talk about the war, it is very easy to talk about a war, but try to know the conditions of the families of those who lost their lives in the war to ensure freedom in the country,” he said.
Abdullah said his party would set up a Commission on its own once it comes to power in the State to improve the living condition of the war widows.
“The NC will set up a Commission to know the condition of war widows immediately after coming to power in the State. You have to strengthen my hands and we need to work together that we can give an honourable life to the families of the slain soldiers. They have left minor girls and we have to take care of their education to make their future safe,” he said.
Farooq called upon the National Conference workers to be prepared for Panchayat election.
“I don’t know whether the State Government will hold Panchayat elections are not. Already they got Anantnag election deferred for the fear of brother’s defeat (a reference to Tasaduq Mufti, brother of Mehbooba Mufti, who was PDP’s candidate on Anantnag seat). But you have to be prepared for the elections,” he said.
In the evening, Dr Abdullah accompanied by NC provincial president, Devender Singh Rana visited the residence of Congress leader and former Chairman of Legislative Council, Amrit Malhotra in the City.
Amrit was junior of Advocate Dinglefoot, who had defended Sheikh Abdullah in 1958 Kashmir conspiracy case.
In his address, Devender Rana called for grant of regional autonomy to the State. He criticized divisive forces saying they were threat for the State. He welcomed Dr Farooq Abdullah along with other party leaders on his first visit to Jammu after being re-elected as National Conference president.
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