SRINAGAR : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asserted that National Conference (NC) would not rest until Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is not completely revoked from Jammu and Kashmir.
“AFSPA has to go. Nobody – neither in Delhi nor in Srinagar – should have any doubt about this. “I have sought the revocation of AFSPA as an elected Chief Minister of this State, I have made my stand known on the floor of the Legislative Assembly and National Conference has been consistent in its demand to see laws like AFSPA revoked,” Mr Abdullah said while addressing election rallies in Tral, Uri and Baramulla of north Kashmir.
“It is also a fact that the State President of our coalition partner publically opposed the revocation of AFSPA by saying that such an initiative would be premature. “It is also a fact that PDP chose to sabotage the revocation of AFSPA by scuttling our efforts to build a consensus on this move. The same BJP which speaks of creating a conducive atmosphere for the revocation of the law today, went into a jingoistic frenzy every single time National Conference approached the UPA Government over AFSPA,” Mr Abdullah added.
Lashing at out BJP for its communal vitriol against minorities in India, Mr Abdullah said the trend of its leaders unabashedly abusing minorities and humiliating Kashmiris was extremely alarming.
The working president of NC further said PDP’s apologetic stand on AFSPA was explicable, given that it was Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who imposed the act in the State as the then Home Minister of India.
“How can PDP not be apologetic on AFSPA revocation, when the Act’s imposition in the State is a brainchild of their patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed?
“We understand PDP’s compulsions and constraints in choosing political, partisan expediency over siding with the people on AFSPA, but also assure them that National Conference will single-handedly fight for the revocation of AFSPA against all odds, till the day the law isn’t revoked from the State”, the Chief Minister added.
“I’m also surprised at how Congress is trying to stay afloat in the State by playing the victim card and pretending that they were a suppressed part of the NC-Congress coalition Government. Nothing could be more ridiculous than this.
“Not only did Congress have most of the works portfolios in the NC-Congress Government, they also got more space in policy decisions than was mandated by the numbers they bagged in the elections of 2008,” he said.
“Yes, we opposed the Food Security Bill adaption as proposed by the Congress and we are very proud for having succeeding in thwarting the bill as it would have deprived around two million people from within the State of free and subsidised foodgrains.
“Congress opposed the creation of the New Administrative Units and conduct of Municipal Elections at regular intervals.
“As opposed to what the party might like to imagine today, if anything has let Congress down in J&K, it is their own Ministers and leaders, who have fallen short of all possible political, moral and professional expectations,” Mr Abdullah said.
Urging the people to cast their precious votes in favour of Mohammad Shafi Uri in Uri and Ghulam Hassan Rahi in Baramulla, he asked them to be part of a movement to protect the dignity and political stature of their beloved State.
“Your votes in favour of our candidates will be votes in favour of our collective honor as a State, that has rendered far too many sacrifices to allow political marauders and communal polarisers to harm our interests and trivialize our aspirations,” Mr Abdullah added. (AGENCIES)
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