Situation in J&K not organic, but driven out of fear
Have kept space for Congress in cabinet, INDIA bloc not dead
Srinagar, Feb 27: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that having an assembly in the Union Territory is a hybrid system and that the country should either have only states or only UTs.
He also said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is not organic, but driven out of fear.
In a programme, ‘Ummedu Ka Jammu Kashmir’ by ‘THE RED MIKE DIALOGUES With Omar Abdullah’, the Chief Minister said that he wishes to have a J&K with peace, and communal harmony.
About the statehood restoration with half powers, he said, “There is no model in India where you have a full state without all powers. So unless you are envisaging a situation where J&K would be treated uniquely, I don’t see how this will work, if you plan to treat JK uniquely then please explain what August 5, 2019 was about. If I am not mistaken, all of those were saying that JK has been brought at par with the rest of the country.”
“The whole idea was that you can’t have two systems in one country, if it is one country with one system then how can you now propose a new system just of JK. You have to treat us at par.”
“If what is happening today in JK today is organic nothing like it, if it is driven out of fear then you have a problem, because you can only control a situation out of fear for a limited time, if it is organic then it will remain forever. But I will hazard that the forces and the people who you talk to in JK, even they don’t believe it is organic, they wouldn’t have closed Jama Masjid for Mirwaiz to offer his father-in-law’s funeral prayers,” he said.
“Law and order doesn’t break out when normalcy is organic, but it happens when it is forced. It is not organic normalcy in JK but it is forced and this is because you are trying to run JK through the second model you are proposing where governance would not have a role in law and order and security. I will hazard that there are limitations to the second model that you are proposing because you will never be able to carry the population as the partners for normalcy unless the elected government is part of the paradigm,” the Chief Minister said.
About his statement on Article370 judgement, he said that he has made it clear that the top court has already given the decision in favour of Article 370 in the past and now that the verdict has been given against it, then there are expectations for a favourable decision again.
He also said that Amit Shah is the Union Home Minister and meeting him was nothing unusual. “When I met Chidmabaram and other HMs in the past, nobody talked about it, you cannot work without the support of the Centre.”
He also said that the Centre has not kept any way for the confrontation, they are supporting the elected government in any way, they have promised the restoration of statehood restoration, “but if they change their stance, then we will also change our approach.”
About INDIA block, he said, “We have been fighting against each other very much. INDIA bloc should decide its role. If it is for the Lok Sabha polls only then we should wind it up and form it again in the next parliamentary polls. But there is a need to fight joint assembly polls too. In J&K we barely managed to save the alliance and till the end, it was not showing any signs of going for the polls jointly. When we were discussing the seat sharing with Congress, we were not ready to reduce our numbers as we were sure that we would manage to secure this number of seats.”
He also said that the Congress has willingly decided to stay away from the cabinet as JKPCC Chief had told him during the swearing-in ceremony that they will not be a part of the government till the statehood is restored. However, he said that a space in the cabinet has been kept for them.
Asked whether the INDIA bloc is dead, he said, “No, we still have a sizable number in parliament. Whether we are able to deliver or not is a different question, but this government depends on alliance. Therefore, as long as the INDIA bloc is able to deliver, it is not dead.”
About the restoration of statehood, he said that he is not waiting for five years, but expecting the restoration for statehood this year only. The discussion is going on, he said. He said they have plan B and plan C. “But, I am not going to sit here and say we will do this and that if we don’t get statehood by this date. I am assuming that the government has said that it is committed to restore it, SC has also asked for the complete statehood restoration a year ago. I think as soon as possible and at earliest qualify for some time in the next few months.
About Ladakh, Omar said, “I am sorry, but ladakh has been betrayed. We were asking people there to think before raising the demand of becoming UT. We were telling them that the resolution of their grievances would not come by making Ladakh UT.”
Asked whether his government is taking measures for the return of Kashmiri Pandits, he asked how many have been brought back to the Valley after the removal of Article 370. “We have seen targeted attacks against minorities. We can only expect to do something about their return as a state. We will do everything to get their sense of security back for their return,” he added.
Asked about the rigging of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, “If I am elected through robbery then what is the reason for me to sit on the chair of CM. Show me one single person, who has said that there was rigging. Compared to other places, J&K has not seen even a single re-poll. I have never complained of rigging and fault in machines even if I lost.”
