Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 23: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the four years of UPA Government at the Centre have witnessed a lot of positive work, but admitted that successive scandals were a setback to it.
“Because we focus on the negative, I often think, we ignore the positive. There is a lot of good that this Government has done,” Omar, whose National Conference is part of the UPA at the Centre, told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Omar was responding to a question about his assessment of the four years of UPA-II rule in the country. National Conference was not part of UPA-I.
The Chief Minister said, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had clearly identified the areas where the Government at the Centre has achieved “considerable success”.
“No doubt there were setbacks. The biggest area of concern has been the succession of scandals that have been unearthed,” he said.
The Prime Minister and the UPA chairperson yesterday “publicly committed themselves to unearthing scams and ensuring that those who are guilty will be punished,” the Omar said.
UPA will go back to the people with the list of positive works it has done as the Lok Sabha elections, due next year, draw closer, he added.
“As we come closer to the elections, we will take that positive track record and go back to the people,” Omar said.
In response to a question about him entering into an understanding with moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Chief Minister said it was a question more for the separatist leader.
“I am currently heading a Government that is a constituent of the UPA. I am an ally of the Congress. Undoubtedly there is a historic sort of precedent to what you are taking about…The double Farooq accord between my father and the Mirwaiz’s father. Beyond that, I do not think it would be appropriate for me to say anything else,” he added.
Omar said he was hopeful that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will hold the hand of friendship extended by PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif.
“Perhaps for the first time, improving relations with India was a positive issue in the Pakistan elections. Kashmir issue was not used much during the polls.
“In this backdrop, we are hopeful that the hand of friendship extended by Sharif would be held by the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh),” Omar said.
He said the electoral victory for Sharif’s party was a good development for Indo-Pak relations and resolution of Kashmir issue.
“It is right that Sharif has won elections, which is a good development. Sharif has earlier also proved that he wants good relations with our country and he wants that Kashmir problem to be resolved through dialogue,” Omar said.
The Chief Minister said while Sharif has been “punished” in the past by the army for this (soft stand towards India), there was very little influence or interference of the Army in the recently concluded elections in Pakistan.
Omar said the UPA Government at the Centre should not be linked with the IPL spot fixing scandal as it had nothing to do with it.
“What has the UPA got to do with IPL? You can hold the UPA responsible for other things but in IPL, players took the money and bookies paid them…People gambled on it,” Omar said.
Responding to a question about involvement of UPA members in the spot-fixing scandal, Omar suggested that the ruling alliance at the Centre was unnecessarily linked to every wrong that takes place in the country.
“What are you talking about? Wherever you see any wrongdoing, you bring the UPA into it,” he retorted.
Omar said, since there was no specific law to deal with spot fixing and match fixing at the moment, the Centre has decided to enact a new law to deal with the problem.
“The (Union) Law Minister and (Union) Sports Minister have decided to bring a new law, which will provide for strict punishment for (those involved in) match fixing and spot fixing,” he added.
The ban on prepaid SMSes in Jammu and Kashmir is unlikely to be lifted in the near future, Omar said.
“The ban on SMS on prepaid connections is because of this problem of mass messages being used to spread rumours. Nothing so far has suggested that this disease has been cured,” Omar said.
He said the State Government was working with the Centre to find a way for lifting the ban but prevent sending mass messages.
“We are working with the Government of India to figure out a way whereby the ban on prepaid SMS can be lifted but at the same time multiple SMSes can be stopped,” he said.
Responding to a question, Omar said he would raise the issue of Kashmiri students studying outside the State facing difficulty in acquiring SIM cards at the forthcoming internal security conference in New Delhi.
“On June 5, there is an internal security conference to be chaired by the Prime Minister and called by the (Union) Home Minster. I will raise this issue … All State chief ministers will be present there and I will ask them to resolve this issue,” he added. (PTI)
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