Srinagar, Sep 28: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that BJP is in no mood to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir as they are aware that people would punish them.
Omar was responding to a query that the Union government may possibly postpone the Panchayat and urban bodies' elections in J&K. “We have been saying it right from day one that BJP is in no mood to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir as they are aware people will not support them in any way”, the NC Vice President told media persons in Srinagar.
He said the BJP will not be defeated in Kashmir valley alone but will face backlash in Jammu also that is why they were reluctant to hold elections. “Assembly elections are far away, they were talking about the Local Bodies and Panchayat elections in the Supreme Court, now it seems that too have been shelved”, Omar said and added “now only one can trust that Parliament elections could be held which they may feel difficult to defer”.
He said that every political party and citizen wants elections in J&K and alleged that the Lieutenant Governor is the only one who opposes the holding of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Probably only Lieutenant Governor and the people around him do not want to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Except if you ask anybody on the road about elections, he will definitely want elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir”, Omar said.
The NC Vice President said that whoever party the people would vote, but everyone wants elections to be held in Jammu and Kashmir.
Asked about the J&K Director General of Police who claimed to make Jammu and Kashmir terror free, Omar said that let him do so.
“We all want to see Jammu and Kashmir terror free. If anybody after security forces has sacrificed during the past 35 years, it is the National Conference whose thousands of workers lost their lives.
Nobody from our side would say that DGP has said wrong. Let them make Jammu and Kashmir terror free. What much of a role we have to play as we too want to see Jammu Kashmir terror free to restore peace”, Omar said.
“But nothing will happen from rhetoric. How much the people are terror free came to know after the Kokernag incident where a colonel, a Major and a Deputy Superintendent of Police besides a jawan were killed. Your aim is to make J&K terror free and let it be visible on ground”, he asked.
“Make J&K terror free and lift the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA)”, Omar said and added “we would be the first among the people who will applaud and praise your job”.
Regarding the meeting called by the opposition leaders in Jammu, Omar said they would sit and talk to each other on the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said Farooq Abdullah deliberately decided to hold the meeting in Jammu so that the people of Jammu should not feel ignored and participate easily to have deliberations on the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
