Says BJP failing J&K by stalling restoration of statehood
Jammu Tawi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday launched a sharp attack against the BJP, accusing it of engineering political defections across the country, practising “back-door politics” and failing to honour its promise to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
The chief minister’s remarks came a day after Jammu and Kashmir BJP slammed his comments accusing the saffron party of attempting to topple the National Conference government. The party demanded he either identify the BJP leaders allegedly trying to poach NC legislators or issue a public apology. It also warned that, if Abdullah failed to substantiate his allegations, he should be prepared to face legal action.
Addressing a public rally in Jammu on Sunday, Abdullah dismissed the BJP’s claim that it was not conspiring against the NC, alleging that the party has a record of weakening political parties. “Today, BJP leaders say they are not conspiring against the National Conference (NC). But who is going to believe that anymore?”
Accusing the BJP of orchestrating political splits in several states, Abdullah said, “You (BJP) never tire of plotting conspiracies and splitting political parties. In which part of this country have you not broken political parties? Then how can you say that we are the ones who are lying?”
Referring to Maharashtra, West Bengal and Punjab, he alleged the BJP had consistently sought to weaken political opposition in states.
“Look at Maharashtra. What did you do to the parties of Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray? Look at West Bengal. What did you do to Mamata Banerjee’s party? Look at the Aam Aadmi Party in neighbouring Punjab. Which state should I even begin talking about? And then you proudly say you carried out ‘Operation Lotus’,” he said.
The chief minister accused BJP of attempting to secure power through political manoeuvring rather than electoral mandates. “You accuse us of making back-door appointments, but the real practitioner of back-door politics is BJP. When you cannot come to power through the front door, you try to enter through the back door,” Abdullah alleged.
Abdullah questioned the purpose of assembly elections if elected representatives were not given powers. “If Jammu and Kashmir was meant to be governed entirely from Raj Bhavan, what was the point of holding elections?”
He said the NC had accepted the electoral process in good faith because it believed the assurances given by the Centre, Parliament and the Supreme Court regarding restoration of statehood.
“We believed your assurances. We trusted the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We trusted the commitment made in Parliament. We also trusted the Supreme Court’s direction that statehood would be restored after the elections without any further delay,” Abdullah said.
He said delay in restoring statehood has eroded public confidence and reiterated that the NC would continue its democratic campaign until Jammu and Kashmir regained full statehood. (Agencies)
Should introspect: BJP counters Abdullah’s poaching charge, questions his leadership
New Delhi, Jul 12: The BJP on Sunday lashed out at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his accusation that it is trying to poach his National Conference party MLAs, saying that instead of making “speculative and baseless” claims, he should “introspect” on what kind of leaders he has in his party.
When asked, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra categorically rejected Abdulla’s charge as “speculative and without any basis”, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not believe in any action that deals a blow to democracy or runs counter to the democratic spirit.
“I find it astonishing when any leader speaks about his own party members in such a way, claiming that his people can be bought for sums like Rs 30 crore or Rs 12 crore,” the BJP MP said.
“It reminds me of the time when Sushma (Swaraj) asked in Parliament: Are your MPs up for sale? Are your MLAs up for sale?.. Do you not even have enough faith in your own leaders to trust that they won’t sell themselves?” Patra said, adding, “I feel that if this is the case, there ought to be some introspection as to what kind of people are in the party who can be bought.”
On Saturday, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sudhansu Trivedi slammed Abdullah, describing his charge as “extremely irresponsible and baseless”.
Trivedi also demanded that the J-K chief minister either provide “evidence” to substantiate his allegation or apologise.
J-K BJP spokesperson and MLA R S Pathania said if Abdullah does not apologise, the BJP will “file a defamation case against him for making misleading and unsubstantiated allegations intended to create confusion among the people”.
Trivedi further said claimed Abdullah made such a “baseless” allegation just to deflect public attention from his government’s “incompetence, inaction and misgovernance” in J-K.
Speaking in the same vein, Pathania said, “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should disclose the names of the MLAs who were allegedly offered money, identify the BJP leaders involved, and reveal when and where the alleged offers were made.
“If such a serious incident occurred, why was it not reported to the investigating agencies? An elected chief minister cannot make such allegations without placing evidence before the authorities,” he added
Pathania said the National Conference received a five-year mandate but was “exposed” within the first year itself for “failing” to honour its promises.
